Security News
People reveal more personal information when you ask them the same questions a second time - according to new research from the University of East Anglia. The research team say that understanding why people disclose personal data could help inform measures to address the problem.
Microsoft said it teamed up with Fortra and Health Information Sharing and Analysis Center to tackle the abuse of Cobalt Strike by cybercriminals to distribute malware, including ransomware. While Cobalt Strike, developed and maintained by Fortra, is a legitimate post-exploitation tool used for adversary simulation, illegal cracked versions of the software have been weaponized by threat actors over the years.
Resecurity has recently identified the STYX Innovation Marketplace, a new cybercriminal e-commerce platform with a specialized focus on financial fraud and money laundering. This platform is specifically designed to facilitate financial crime, providing cybercriminals with a range of services, including stolen financial data, credit card information, forged documents, money laundering services, victim reconnaissance 'lookups', and more.
The fake crimeware-as-a-service offerings that the NCA pretends to operate are so-called booters, also known as stressers, also known as DDoSsers, where DDoS is short for distributed denial of service. In contrast, DDoS attacks are usually much less sophisticated, making them easier for technically inexperienced crooks to take part in, but much more natural-looking, making them harder even for technically experienced defenders to stop.
In what's a case of setting a thief to catch a thief, the U.K. National Crime Agency revealed that it has created a network of fake DDoS-for-hire websites to infiltrate the online criminal underground. "All of the NCA-run sites, which have so far been accessed by around several thousand people, have been created to look like they offer the tools and services that enable cyber criminals to execute these attacks," the law enforcement agency said.
The U.K.'s National Crime Agency revealed today that they created multiple fake DDoS-for-hire service websites to identify cybercriminals who utilize these platforms to attack organizations. NCA says several thousands of people accessed its fake sites, which had a realistic appearance as a genuine booter service.
Organizations worldwide pay ransomware fees instead of implementing solutions to protect themselves. The ransom is just the tip of the iceberg regarding the damage a ransomware attack can wreak.
The collapse of the Silicon Valley Bank on March 10, 2023, has sent ripples of turbulence throughout the global financial system, but for hackers, scammers, and phishing campaigns, it's becoming an excellent opportunity. An attack already seen in the wild is from BEC threat actors who are impersonating SVB customers and telling customers that they need payments sent to a new bank account after the bank's collapse.
Six different law firms were targeted in January and February 2023 as part of two disparate threat campaigns distributing GootLoader and FakeUpdates malware strains. GootLoader, active since late 2020, is a first-stage downloader that's capable of delivering a wide range of secondary payloads such as Cobalt Strike and ransomware.
Cybercriminals remained active in spying and information stealing, with lottery-themed adware campaigns used as a tactic to obtain people's contact details, according to Avast. "At the end of 2022, we have seen an increase in human-centered threats, such as scams tricking people into thinking their computer is infected, or that they have been charged for goods they didn't order. It's human nature to react to urgency, fear and try to regain control of issues, and that's where cybercriminals succeed," said Jakub Kroustek, Avast Malware Research Director.