The online malware scanning service VirusTotal leaked data associated with a subset of registered customers, including their names and email addresses.
The data were exposed after an employee inadvertently uploaded the information to the malware scanning platform.
The security incident, which comprises a database of 5,600 names in a 313KB file, was first disclosed by German newspapers Der Spiegel and Der Standard.
VirusTotal which was launched in 2004 is a popular service that analyzes suspicious files and URLs to detect types of malware and malicious content using antivirus engines and website scanners. It was acquired by Google in 2012 and became a subsidiary of Google Cloud’s Chronicle unit in 2018.
Der Spiegel points out that the leaked data reveals who deals with IT security and malware in the impacted companies and government organizations. Threat actors could use this information to target these professionals with spear-phishing attacks.
Included among the data are accounts linked to official U.S. bodies such as the Cyber Command, Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the National Security Agency (NSA). Other accounts belong to government agencies in Germany, the Netherlands, Taiwan, and the U.K.
Google has confirmed the leak and has taken immediate steps to remove the data. They are looking at their internal processes and technical controls to improve the operations in the future.
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