New Star Blizzard spear-phishing campaign targets WhatsApp accounts


Star Blizzard’s new spear-phishing campaign, while novel in that it uses and targets WhatsApp for the first time, exhibits familiar spear-phishing TTPs for Star Blizzard, with the threat actor initiating email contact with their targets, to engage them, before sending them a second message containing a malicious link.

The sender address used by the threat actor in this campaign impersonates a US government official, continuing Star Blizzard’s practice of impersonating known political/diplomatic figures, to further ensure target engagement. The initial email sent to targets contains a quick response (QR) code purporting to direct users to join a WhatsApp group on “the latest non-governmental initiatives aimed at supporting Ukraine NGOs.”

Read more…
Source: Microsoft


Sign up for our Newsletter


Related:

  • Air India cyber-attack: Data of millions of customers compromised

    May 22, 2021

    India’s national airline Air India has said a cyber-attack on its data servers affected about 4.5 million customers around the world. The breach was first reported to the company in February. Details including passport and ticket information as well as credit-card data were compromised. But Air India said security details for credit cards – CVV or CVC ...

  • Here’s how we got persistent shell access on a Boeing 747 – Pen Test Partners

    May 21, 2021

    Researchers from infosec biz Pen Test Partners established a persistent shell on an in-flight entertainment (IFE) system from a Boeing 747 airliner after exploiting a vulnerability dating back to 1999. It’s an attack that’s more of a curiosity than anything else: it’s too difficult to pull off during an actual flight, and it’s rare these days ...

  • Florida water treatment plant was involved in second security incident before poisoning attempt: report

    May 21, 2021

    A new study from Dragos has found that a water treatment plant in Oldsmar, Florida — where hackers attempted to poison the town’s water earlier this year — was also involved in another potential breach at the same time. A browser being used on the plant’s network was traced back to a “watering hole” attack that ...

  • Phorpiex malware botnet just won’t go away

    May 21, 2021

    The Phorpiex malware botnet has lurked around the internet for years and is used to deliver ransomware, spam email and more, but now Microsoft’s security team are taking a closer look at it. The botnet has been known for using old-fashioned worms that spread via removable USB drives and instant messaging apps, began diversifying its infrastructure ...

  • US insurance giant CNA Financial paid $40 million ransom to regain control of systems: report

    May 21, 2021

    One of the largest insurance companies in the United States, CNA Financial, reportedly agreed to a $40 million payment to restore access to its systems following a ransomware attack. According to Bloomberg, the $40 million payment — which is $10 million more than the highest attempted demand of $30 million in 2020, already double the highest ...

  • FBI: Conti Ransomware Attacks Impact Healthcare and First Responder Networks

    May 20, 2021

    The FBI identified at least 16 Conti ransomware attacks targeting US healthcare and first responder networks, including law enforcement agencies, emergency medical services, 9-1-1 dispatch centers, and municipalities within the last year. These healthcare and first responder networks are among the more than 400 organizations worldwide victimized by Conti, over 290 of which are located in the U.S. ...