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Standing Up to Extortion: Lessons from the Checkout.com Breach
Standing Up to Extortion: Lessons from the Checkout.com Breach and the Rise of Vishing Attacks Description
This week on Upwardly Mobile, we dive deep into the tactics of the prolific criminal group ShinyHunters and explore how global enterprises are responding to sophisticated cyber extortion attempts in 2025. We analyze two major security incidents that highlight critical vulnerabilities in legacy systems and modern OAuth ecosystems. The Extortion Dilemma: Checkout.com Stands Firm
We detail the incident where Checkout.com was contacted by ShinyHunters, who demanded a ransom after gaining unauthorized access to a legacy, third-party cloud file storage system. This system was used in 2020 and prior years for internal operational documents and merchant onboarding materials, affecting less than 25% of their current merchant base. Critically, the threat actors did not access merchant funds or card numbers, and the live payment processing platform was not impacted. Checkout.com publicly stated they would not be extorted and refused to pay the ransom. Instead, they are turning this attack into an investment for the entire security industry by donating the ransom amount to Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Oxford Cyber Security Center to fund cybercrime research. The company accepted full responsibility for the legacy system not being properly decommissioned. The 2025 OAuth and Vishing Wave The episode also examines ShinyHunters' 2025 campaign targeting mobile and web-based enterprise applications, particularly those connected to Salesforce and integrated platforms like Salesloft and Drift. These attacks were characterized by sophisticated social engineering and voice phishing ("vishing"), where attackers impersonated IT staff (sometimes using AI-generated voices) to persuade employees to authorize malicious versions of Salesforce tools via mobile or web apps. By exploiting OAuth tokens, ShinyHunters compromised sensitive internal APIs and data from high-profile victims, including Google, Cloudflare, Qantas, Allianz Life, and Adidas. Analysts noted that these techniques bypassed technical controls by abusing human trust, enabling the theft of over 1.5 billion Salesforce records from approximately 760 organizations. These incidents underscore that modern mobile application security is deeply dependent on robust cloud and OAuth ecosystem safeguards. Sponsor This episode of Upwardly Mobile is brought to you by approov.io, helping protect your mobile API access and application endpoints from sophisticated attacks like those utilizing stolen OAuth tokens.
Sponsor Link: approov.io
Keywords: ShinyHunters, Cyber Extortion, Ransomware, Legacy System Vulnerability, OAuth Exploitation, Vishing, Voice Phishing, Salesforce Security, Checkout.com, Cybercrime Research, Cloud Security, Supply Chain Attack, Mobile Application Security, Digital Economy Security, Data Breach.
Relevant Source Materials and Links
Checkout.com’s official statement on the incident concerning a legacy system and their decision not to pay the ransom, authored by Mariano Albera.
ShinyHunters Salesforce Cyberattacks via Vishing and OAuth Exploitation
🎙️ Upwardly Mobile is hosted by Skye Macintyre & George McGregor. 🛡️ Sponsored by Approov: The only comprehensive solution for mobile app and API security. 👉 Subscribe & Review: Upwardly Mobile | Podcast
This episode includes AI-generated content.
This week on Upwardly Mobile, we dive deep into the tactics of the prolific criminal group ShinyHunters and explore how global enterprises are responding to sophisticated cyber extortion attempts in 2025. We analyze two major security incidents that highlight critical vulnerabilities in legacy systems and modern OAuth ecosystems. The Extortion Dilemma: Checkout.com Stands Firm
We detail the incident where Checkout.com was contacted by ShinyHunters, who demanded a ransom after gaining unauthorized access to a legacy, third-party cloud file storage system. This system was used in 2020 and prior years for internal operational documents and merchant onboarding materials, affecting less than 25% of their current merchant base. Critically, the threat actors did not access merchant funds or card numbers, and the live payment processing platform was not impacted. Checkout.com publicly stated they would not be extorted and refused to pay the ransom. Instead, they are turning this attack into an investment for the entire security industry by donating the ransom amount to Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Oxford Cyber Security Center to fund cybercrime research. The company accepted full responsibility for the legacy system not being properly decommissioned. The 2025 OAuth and Vishing Wave The episode also examines ShinyHunters' 2025 campaign targeting mobile and web-based enterprise applications, particularly those connected to Salesforce and integrated platforms like Salesloft and Drift. These attacks were characterized by sophisticated social engineering and voice phishing ("vishing"), where attackers impersonated IT staff (sometimes using AI-generated voices) to persuade employees to authorize malicious versions of Salesforce tools via mobile or web apps. By exploiting OAuth tokens, ShinyHunters compromised sensitive internal APIs and data from high-profile victims, including Google, Cloudflare, Qantas, Allianz Life, and Adidas. Analysts noted that these techniques bypassed technical controls by abusing human trust, enabling the theft of over 1.5 billion Salesforce records from approximately 760 organizations. These incidents underscore that modern mobile application security is deeply dependent on robust cloud and OAuth ecosystem safeguards. Sponsor This episode of Upwardly Mobile is brought to you by approov.io, helping protect your mobile API access and application endpoints from sophisticated attacks like those utilizing stolen OAuth tokens.
Sponsor Link: approov.io
Keywords: ShinyHunters, Cyber Extortion, Ransomware, Legacy System Vulnerability, OAuth Exploitation, Vishing, Voice Phishing, Salesforce Security, Checkout.com, Cybercrime Research, Cloud Security, Supply Chain Attack, Mobile Application Security, Digital Economy Security, Data Breach.
Relevant Source Materials and Links
Checkout.com’s official statement on the incident concerning a legacy system and their decision not to pay the ransom, authored by Mariano Albera.
ShinyHunters Salesforce Cyberattacks via Vishing and OAuth Exploitation
- The Hackernews: Why the ShinyHunters Data Breach vs. SaaS highlights vulnerabilities
- TrueSec: Cyber extortion group ShinyHunters targets Salesforce customers
- CM Alliance: Reports on major cyberattacks and data breaches in September 2025
- EclecticIQ: Analysis of ShinyHunters' financially motivated data extortion group targeting enterprise cloud applications
- ReSecurity: Examining the alliance of threat actors and their global cybercrime spree
- Obsidian Security: The merger of chaos between ShinyHunters and Scattered Spider in the 2025 Salesforce attacks
- Cysecurity News: Coverage of ShinyHunters’ voice phishing attacks
- ReliaQuest: Threat spotlight on ShinyHunters targeting Salesforce amid collaboration with Scattered Spider
- CloudProtection: Reporting on Salesforce attacks in 2025
- PKWARE: Recent Data Breaches
🎙️ Upwardly Mobile is hosted by Skye Macintyre & George McGregor. 🛡️ Sponsored by Approov: The only comprehensive solution for mobile app and API security. 👉 Subscribe & Review: Upwardly Mobile | Podcast
This episode includes AI-generated content.
View all episodes
By Approov Mobile SecurityStanding Up to Extortion: Lessons from the Checkout.com Breach and the Rise of Vishing Attacks Description
This week on Upwardly Mobile, we dive deep into the tactics of the prolific criminal group ShinyHunters and explore how global enterprises are responding to sophisticated cyber extortion attempts in 2025. We analyze two major security incidents that highlight critical vulnerabilities in legacy systems and modern OAuth ecosystems. The Extortion Dilemma: Checkout.com Stands Firm
We detail the incident where Checkout.com was contacted by ShinyHunters, who demanded a ransom after gaining unauthorized access to a legacy, third-party cloud file storage system. This system was used in 2020 and prior years for internal operational documents and merchant onboarding materials, affecting less than 25% of their current merchant base. Critically, the threat actors did not access merchant funds or card numbers, and the live payment processing platform was not impacted. Checkout.com publicly stated they would not be extorted and refused to pay the ransom. Instead, they are turning this attack into an investment for the entire security industry by donating the ransom amount to Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Oxford Cyber Security Center to fund cybercrime research. The company accepted full responsibility for the legacy system not being properly decommissioned. The 2025 OAuth and Vishing Wave The episode also examines ShinyHunters' 2025 campaign targeting mobile and web-based enterprise applications, particularly those connected to Salesforce and integrated platforms like Salesloft and Drift. These attacks were characterized by sophisticated social engineering and voice phishing ("vishing"), where attackers impersonated IT staff (sometimes using AI-generated voices) to persuade employees to authorize malicious versions of Salesforce tools via mobile or web apps. By exploiting OAuth tokens, ShinyHunters compromised sensitive internal APIs and data from high-profile victims, including Google, Cloudflare, Qantas, Allianz Life, and Adidas. Analysts noted that these techniques bypassed technical controls by abusing human trust, enabling the theft of over 1.5 billion Salesforce records from approximately 760 organizations. These incidents underscore that modern mobile application security is deeply dependent on robust cloud and OAuth ecosystem safeguards. Sponsor This episode of Upwardly Mobile is brought to you by approov.io, helping protect your mobile API access and application endpoints from sophisticated attacks like those utilizing stolen OAuth tokens.
Sponsor Link: approov.io
Keywords: ShinyHunters, Cyber Extortion, Ransomware, Legacy System Vulnerability, OAuth Exploitation, Vishing, Voice Phishing, Salesforce Security, Checkout.com, Cybercrime Research, Cloud Security, Supply Chain Attack, Mobile Application Security, Digital Economy Security, Data Breach.
Relevant Source Materials and Links
Checkout.com’s official statement on the incident concerning a legacy system and their decision not to pay the ransom, authored by Mariano Albera.
ShinyHunters Salesforce Cyberattacks via Vishing and OAuth Exploitation
🎙️ Upwardly Mobile is hosted by Skye Macintyre & George McGregor. 🛡️ Sponsored by Approov: The only comprehensive solution for mobile app and API security. 👉 Subscribe & Review: Upwardly Mobile | Podcast
This episode includes AI-generated content.
This week on Upwardly Mobile, we dive deep into the tactics of the prolific criminal group ShinyHunters and explore how global enterprises are responding to sophisticated cyber extortion attempts in 2025. We analyze two major security incidents that highlight critical vulnerabilities in legacy systems and modern OAuth ecosystems. The Extortion Dilemma: Checkout.com Stands Firm
We detail the incident where Checkout.com was contacted by ShinyHunters, who demanded a ransom after gaining unauthorized access to a legacy, third-party cloud file storage system. This system was used in 2020 and prior years for internal operational documents and merchant onboarding materials, affecting less than 25% of their current merchant base. Critically, the threat actors did not access merchant funds or card numbers, and the live payment processing platform was not impacted. Checkout.com publicly stated they would not be extorted and refused to pay the ransom. Instead, they are turning this attack into an investment for the entire security industry by donating the ransom amount to Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Oxford Cyber Security Center to fund cybercrime research. The company accepted full responsibility for the legacy system not being properly decommissioned. The 2025 OAuth and Vishing Wave The episode also examines ShinyHunters' 2025 campaign targeting mobile and web-based enterprise applications, particularly those connected to Salesforce and integrated platforms like Salesloft and Drift. These attacks were characterized by sophisticated social engineering and voice phishing ("vishing"), where attackers impersonated IT staff (sometimes using AI-generated voices) to persuade employees to authorize malicious versions of Salesforce tools via mobile or web apps. By exploiting OAuth tokens, ShinyHunters compromised sensitive internal APIs and data from high-profile victims, including Google, Cloudflare, Qantas, Allianz Life, and Adidas. Analysts noted that these techniques bypassed technical controls by abusing human trust, enabling the theft of over 1.5 billion Salesforce records from approximately 760 organizations. These incidents underscore that modern mobile application security is deeply dependent on robust cloud and OAuth ecosystem safeguards. Sponsor This episode of Upwardly Mobile is brought to you by approov.io, helping protect your mobile API access and application endpoints from sophisticated attacks like those utilizing stolen OAuth tokens.
Sponsor Link: approov.io
Keywords: ShinyHunters, Cyber Extortion, Ransomware, Legacy System Vulnerability, OAuth Exploitation, Vishing, Voice Phishing, Salesforce Security, Checkout.com, Cybercrime Research, Cloud Security, Supply Chain Attack, Mobile Application Security, Digital Economy Security, Data Breach.
Relevant Source Materials and Links
Checkout.com’s official statement on the incident concerning a legacy system and their decision not to pay the ransom, authored by Mariano Albera.
ShinyHunters Salesforce Cyberattacks via Vishing and OAuth Exploitation
- The Hackernews: Why the ShinyHunters Data Breach vs. SaaS highlights vulnerabilities
- TrueSec: Cyber extortion group ShinyHunters targets Salesforce customers
- CM Alliance: Reports on major cyberattacks and data breaches in September 2025
- EclecticIQ: Analysis of ShinyHunters' financially motivated data extortion group targeting enterprise cloud applications
- ReSecurity: Examining the alliance of threat actors and their global cybercrime spree
- Obsidian Security: The merger of chaos between ShinyHunters and Scattered Spider in the 2025 Salesforce attacks
- Cysecurity News: Coverage of ShinyHunters’ voice phishing attacks
- ReliaQuest: Threat spotlight on ShinyHunters targeting Salesforce amid collaboration with Scattered Spider
- CloudProtection: Reporting on Salesforce attacks in 2025
- PKWARE: Recent Data Breaches
🎙️ Upwardly Mobile is hosted by Skye Macintyre & George McGregor. 🛡️ Sponsored by Approov: The only comprehensive solution for mobile app and API security. 👉 Subscribe & Review: Upwardly Mobile | Podcast
This episode includes AI-generated content.