Operation ASTERIX: Anatomy of a Crypto Fraud Pipeline


Rapid7 researchers identified an exposed web directory on infrastructure used to support a cryptocurrency fraud operation. The server contained raw phone-number datasets, account-validation tools, enriched lead records, phishing panels, voice-dialing scripts, fake wallet applications, persistence mechanisms, and Telegram exfiltration code. Among the artifacts was evidence that the operator relied on AI coding assistants throughout the campaign’s development; recovered prompts, shell history, and project files show AI being used to package Electron applications, obfuscate code, troubleshoot builds, modify phishing infrastructure, and prepare malware for distribution. When one model began resisting parts of that workflow, the operator switched providers and attempted to bypass the next model’s safety controls with a custom jailbreak prompt. Together, these artifacts provide an unusual view into how AI was integrated into the development of an active phishing operation rather than simply being used to generate isolated snippets of code.

Read more…
Source:  Rapid7 News


Sign up for the Cyber Security Review Newsletter
The latest cyber security news and insights delivered right to your inbox


Related:

  • Ivanti patched two critical zero-day vulnerabilities in EPMM

    January 30, 2026

    Ivanti has patched two critical zero-day vulnerabilities in its Endpoint Manager Mobile (EPMM) product that are already being exploited, continuing a grim run of January security incidents for enterprise IT vendors. In January 2025, tens of thousands were urged to patch a Fortinet zero-day, while Ivanti customers were doing the same. There has been little change ...

  • Supply chain attack on eScan antivirus: detecting and remediating malicious updates

    January 29, 2026

    On January 20, a supply chain attack has occurred, with the infected software being the eScan antivirus developed by an Indian company MicroWorld Technologies. The previously unknown malware was distributed through the eScan update server. The same day, our security solutions detected and prevented cyberattacks involving this malware. On January 21, having been informed by Morphisec, ...

  • Microsoft Office zero-day lets malicious documents slip past security checks

    January 29, 2026

    Microsoft issued an emergency patch for a high-severity zero-day vulnerability in Office that allows attackers to bypass document security checks and is being exploited in the wild via malicious files. Microsoft pushed the emergency patch for the zero‑day, tracked as CVE-2026-21509, and classified it as a “Microsoft Office Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability” with a CVSS score ...

  • CISA: Fortinet Releases Guidance to Address Ongoing Exploitation of Authentication Bypass Vulnerability CVE-2026-24858

    January 28, 2026

    Newly disclosed vulnerability Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE)-2026-24858 allows malicious actors with a FortiCloud account and a registered device to log in to separate devices registered to other users in FortiOS, FortiManager, FortiWeb, FortiProxy, and FortiAnalyzer, if FortiCloud single sign on (SSO) is ...

  • SoundCloud data breach hit 29.8 million accounts

    January 28, 2026

    TechRadar now have confirmation exactly how many people were affected by the December 2025 breach at SoundCloud, as well as how users can check if they are affected. In mid-December 2025, SoundCloud confirmed suffering a cyberattack and losing sensitive data on about 20% of its user base – approximately 28 million people. The company did not ...

  • No Agency Is Too Small

    January 28, 2026

    Back when nation-state threat actors were primarily targeting large government agencies, government contractors, and large companies, security through obscurity was a legitimate strategy. In years past, betting that attackers wouldn’t bother with smaller targets was a feasible way of operating. It’s feasible no longer. Hackers are better equipped than ever before, thanks in part to artificial ...