Armenia probes alleged sale of 8 million government records on hacker forum The Record from Recorded Future News

pppLeadershipppCybercrimeppNationstatepp Influence Operations ppTechnologyppCyber DailyppClick Here Podcastpp Free Newsletterpp Hackers are offering for sale what they claim is a large trove of Armenian governmentrelated data prompting officials in Yerevan to open an investigation into a potential breach pp The alleged seller using the alias dk0m said it gained access to a government notification system used to distribute official communications including legal and administrative notices pp The dataset advertised on an underground forum for 2500 is said to contain about 8 million records linked to official notifications including communications from police and judicial bodies pp In a statement on Saturday the Public Relations and Information Center of Armenia PRIC a governmentlinked strategic communications body denied that the countrys government email infrastructure had been breached but said attackers may have accessed data from another state platform pp A preliminary review suggests that the leaked files were obtained from the electronic civil litigation platform PRIC said adding that an internal probe is under way to confirm the source of the data and how it was accessed pp Cybersecurity researchers at CyberHUBAM a nongovernmental group focused on digital security said dk0m is a known broker on underground cybercrime forums with a history of selling governmentrelated data dating back to at least 2024 pp According to the researchers the actor typically relies on infostealer malware tools designed to harvest saved credentials and session cookies from infected devices to identify access to sensitive government portals before packaging and reselling the data pp They noted that dk0m has previously advertised data linked to ministries in countries including Argentina Ukraine and Brazil often sharing samples or database structures to bolster credibility pp Screenshots dating back to August 2024 suggest the actor may already have possessed Armenian governmentrelated data raising the possibility that the latest offer is an attempt to monetize material obtained earlier the group said pp If the dataset is authentic researchers warned it could expose Armenian citizens to heightened cyber risks pp Officiallooking data tied to courts enforcement services or police structures significantly lowers the barrier for social engineering attacks CyberHUBAM said pp Citizens could be targeted with highly convincing scam messages referencing real case numbers fines or enforcement actions increasing the likelihood of panicdriven responses or compliance ppDaryna Antoniukppis a reporter for Recorded Future News based in Ukraine She writes about cybersecurity startups cyberattacks in Eastern Europe and the state of the cyberwar between Ukraine and Russia She previously was a tech reporter for Forbes Ukraine Her work has also been published at Sifted The Kyiv Independent and The Kyiv PostppPrivacyppAboutppContact Uspp Copyright 2026 The Record from Recorded Future Newsp