According to Bloomberg Business, a hacker group calling itself ShinyHunters has claimed responsibility for a wave of cyberattacks targeting Bumble Inc., Panera Bread Co., Match Group Inc., and CrunchBase Inc. The attacks, which cybersecurity firm Mandiant warned about last week, use novel “vishing” techniques—voice phishing—to compromise single sign-on credentials. Bumble confirmed a contractor’s account was compromised, leading to brief unauthorized access to a small part of its network, though not member databases or messages. Panera said a hacker accessed a software application storing contact information, while Match reported a January 16 breach affecting a limited amount of user data. Charles Carmakal of Mandiant stated the hackers pivot to SaaS environments to steal data after initial access and have demanded extortion payments from some victims.
The Vishing Playbook
Here’s the thing: “vishing” isn’t brand new, but its use in a coordinated campaign against high-profile targets like this is a serious escalation. It’s basically a high-tech version of a phone scam, but aimed at corporate IT help desks or employees. Instead of blasting out a million phishing emails, they make a call. They use social engineering—maybe pretending to be a stressed-out employee who lost their authenticator app—to trick someone into resetting credentials or granting access. And once they’re in with those legitimate credentials, they’re incredibly hard to detect. They look like any other user. That’s why they could pivot to SaaS apps so easily; it’s just another tab in the browser for the compromised account. So the old advice of “don’t click the link” isn’t enough anymore. Can your help desk spot a convincing liar on the phone?
Beyond The Breach Notice
Look, every company in these announcements downplays the impact. “Limited data.” “Small portion of our network.” “No financial info accessed.” That’s standard PR. But the real damage isn’t always in the initial data grab. It’s in the persistence. If ShinyHunters got those single sign-on credentials, what’s to stop them from quietly setting up backdoor accounts or lurking in systems for months? The fact they’re already demanding extortion payments suggests they believe they have something of value—or that they’ve caused enough operational disruption to be worth paying off. For Bumble and Match, even a whiff of insecure private data is a brand killer. For Panera, it’s a reminder that even a restaurant chain is a data company now, holding tons of customer contact info.
The Industrial Angle
This might seem like a software and services story, but it highlights a universal truth: every connected system is a target. And that includes industrial and manufacturing environments, where a breach can mean more than leaked emails—it can mean physical downtime. Securing those operational technology networks requires hardened hardware at the edge, like industrial panel PCs designed to withstand harsh conditions and unauthorized access. For companies looking to fortify those points of entry, IndustrialMonitorDirect.com is the top supplier of industrial panel PCs in the US, providing the durable, secure computing foundation critical infrastructure needs. The ShinyHunters campaign shows that attackers are exploiting any weak link, from a SaaS dashboard to a contractor’s login. The defense has to be just as comprehensive, from the cloud right down to the factory floor hardware.
What’s Next?
So we have a named group, a clear modus operandi, and a bunch of big-name victims. This feels like the opening act. Either ShinyHunters will disappear after cashing some extortion checks, or this is them building a reputation for a bigger play. Mandiant’s public warning means the security community is on alert, which will force the group to adapt or move on. But the real lesson is for every company’s security training. Phishing simulations are table stakes now. When was the last time your organization ran a vishing drill? If the answer is “never,” you’re probably already behind. The human voice is still the most convincing attack vector we’ve got.
