Russian media, academia targeted in espionage campaign using Google Chrome zero-day exploit

Summary: Russian security researchers have uncovered a sophisticated malware targeting media and educational institutions in Russia, exploiting a zero-day vulnerability in Google Chrome known as CVE-2025-2783. Dubbed “Operation ForumTroll,” the attack involved phishing emails that led victims to malicious links, allowing for immediate infection. Kaspersky suggests that state-sponsored hackers are likely responsible for this intricate operation, which has since seen the malicious links disabled but cautions against future risks of exploitation.

Affected: Media outlets and educational institutions in Russia

Keypoints :

• New malware discovered by Kaspersky targets Russian media and educational institutions.
• The attack exploited a zero-day vulnerability in Google Chrome, allowing hackers to bypass its security measures.
• Kaspersky believes the campaign is state-sponsored but has not attributed it to a specific country.
• Malicious links were crafted to be short-lived, complicating investigations.
• Google has issued a security update to address the vulnerability, though risks remain.