RBC Debanks Toronto lawyer representing Freedom Convoy defendants

I had to check the date twice on this item when I saw that RBC had debanked Freedom Convoy defense lawyer Eva Chipiuk – when I first saw it I assumed a story from 2022 had leaked into my timeline, from when banks, including RBC, froze the accounts of hundreds of citizens who took part in, or contributed to the #FreedomConvoy.

(A Canadian Federal Court later ruled  that the invocation of the Emergencies Act was unreasonable and violated the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms).

While Scotiabank went on to apologize to customers for freezing their accounts, RBC seems to have kept the faith.

After double checking the date on the story – it appears as though, yes, Royal Bank has in fact debanked Eva Chipiuk in 2025.

No reason was given for the action, other than being “outside their risk tolerance.” Chipiuk is one of the defense attorneys for Freedom Convoy organizers Tamara Lich and Chris Barber, she also sent two money transfers to Shakepay: a Bitcoin-only crypto exchange here in Canada.

Of course, being debanked for either of those reasons is highly worrying, given that being a lawyer is part of the very fabric of the rule of law – regardless of who they are representing, and buying Bitcoin in an era where nation states and sovereign wealth funds are now forming strategic Bitcoin reserves, we’ve moved beyond the line of legitimacy.

Speaking of “risk tolerance”, one of my businesses has been with RBC for nearly 20 years, but given that I’m a well-known Bitcoiner and constantly moving funds into and out of the crypto-currency economy – sticking with RBC is now outside of my risk tolerance, and I’ll be moving to a smaller bank, credit union or someplace where my business may actually be welcomed instead of treated with suspicion.

Read: https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/freedom-convoy-lawyer-dropped-bank-175129445.html


Thousands of Women’s IDs and Selfies Leaked from Viral App in Massive Hack

Hackers breached the Tea app—a platform made for women to safely discuss men—on July 26, 2025. The attack exposed 72,000 images, including 13,000 selfies and government IDs.

The app had recently gone viral and topped the Apple App Store. Users upload selfies to verify they’re women. Tea promises anonymity, bans screenshots, and says images are deleted after review. But hackers accessed old data from over two years ago. A Tea spokesperson said, “Protecting our users’ privacy and data is our highest priority.”

Later, it was revealed that over 1.1 million private messages were also exposed. Some DMs included personal details that could identify users. Cybersecurity expert Kasra Rahjerdi confirmed the vulnerability and said it had been fixed. The breach sparked chaos online.

A thread on 4Chan urged a “hack and leak” attack, and some stolen photos ended up on X and 4Chan. Tea is now working with cybersecurity experts and plans to offer free identity protection to affected users.

Read: https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/tea-app-hacked-13000-photos-leaked-4chan-call-action-rcna221139


Clorox Blames $380 Million Cyberattack on IT Giant After Shocking Mistake

On July 23, 2025, Clorox filed a lawsuit in the U.S. accusing Cognizant of gross negligence.

The case centers on an August 2023 cyberattack where a hacker tricked Cognizant’s help desk into resetting employee passwords without verifying identity. The hacker called several times, pretending to be a Clorox staff member. Despite clear procedures, Cognizant allegedly reset passwords and MFA credentials without checks. This gave the attacker full access to Clorox’s network. Clorox claims this mistake crippled its corporate systems, stopped manufacturing, and caused product shortages. Even worse, the company says Cognizant’s response was slow and sloppy.

“The resulting Cyberattack was debilitating,” the complaint states. The attackers, linked to the Scattered Spider group, used the same trick on an IT security employee, gaining deeper access. Clorox is seeking $380 million in damages. Cognizant hit back, saying, “It is shocking that a corporation the size of Clorox had such an inept internal cybersecurity system,” and denied full responsibility for the breach.

Read: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/hackers-fooled-cognizant-help-desk-says-clorox-in-380m-cyberattack-lawsuit/

Canada’s New Spy Bill Could Hand Your Private Data to the US and Beyond

On July 25, 2025, digital rights groups raised alarm over Canada’s Bill C-2, warning it could let U.S. police and spy agencies access Canadians’ private data.

The bill, known as the Strong Borders Act, allows surveillance of emails, messages, cloud files, and more—without needing a warrant. It would also let police and CSIS demand data based only on “reasonable suspicion.” Tech companies would have just five days to push back and would be protected from lawsuits if they hand over data.

Experts say the bill quietly aligns Canada’s surveillance laws with the U.S. CLOUD Act. A Canadian official even admitted it would give police “the same kind of toolkit” as the U.S. PATRIOT Act. Civil rights groups like the Canadian Civil Liberties Association call it “a multi-pronged assault on basic human rights.”

The bill could force tech firms to build in backdoors and spy tools, exposing users to secret data-sharing—even with authoritarian governments. Groups are now urging Canada to withdraw the bill entirely.

Read: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/07/canadas-bill-c-2-opens-floodgates-us-surveillance


Hackers Just Got Hacked and Exposed Their Own Identities Online

On July 25, 2025, cybersecurity researchers from UpGuard revealed a major slip-up by Leak Zone, a well-known underground forum used by hackers.

The forum accidentally exposed its own users through an unprotected Elasticsearch database. The leak revealed over 22 million records. These included IP addresses, login times, and data on whether users were hiding behind VPNs or proxies. Even worse, the archive was being updated in real time. This means thousands of cybercriminals may now be identifiable—to researchers, rivals, and law enforcement.

“It’s a poetic irony,” said security experts, since Leak Zone is known for sharing stolen data. The forum had around 100,000 members and is now offline. It’s unclear how long the data was exposed or who else may have accessed it before UpGuard. Experts believe the exposure was likely due to human error—like forgetting to set a password. It’s another reminder that even the darkest corners of the internet aren’t immune to basic security mistakes.

Read: https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/this-major-cybercrime-forum-might-have-just-exposed-all-its-users


New Chaos Ransomware Hits US Victims for $300K After FBI Crushes BlackSuit

On July 29, 2025, a new ransomware gang called Chaos emerged just after law enforcement shut down the BlackSuit group. Experts believe Chaos includes former BlackSuit members, now demanding $300,000 from U.S. victims in double extortion attacks.

Chaos launched in February 2025 and uses phishing emails, fake calls, and remote tools like AnyDesk and Quick Assist to break into systems. Once inside, they steal data, wipe security logs, and encrypt files using rapid multithreaded encryption. Cisco Talos researchers Anna Bennett, James Nutland, and Chetan Raghuprasad warned the group “maximizes impact while hindering detection and recovery.”

Chaos also installs spyware-like backdoors and operates across Windows, Linux, and even NAS devices. Their tactics and ransom notes resemble BlackSuit’s, which was recently taken down in Operation Checkmate. The FBI also seized over $2.4 million in crypto from a Chaos member. Chaos is just one of many new threats in 2025, showing how ransomware groups keep evolving, even after major crackdowns.

Read: https://thehackernews.com/2025/07/chaos-raas-emerges-after-blacksuit.html