The hidden network: Inside the phishing infrastructure ecosystem powering global cybercrime


Over the past year, Microsoft uncovered a Chinese-language cybercriminal ecosystem, an interconnected network of phishing kit operators, developers, and an illicit marketplace selling tools and infrastructure for large-scale phishing, enabling cybercriminal operations worldwide.

Threat actors purchased and used these tools and infrastructure, including phishing kits and access to compromised or fraudulent Microsoft or Google cloud environments and related credentials, to target organizations across the healthcare, financial services, wholesale distribution, and information technology (IT) sectors in Japan, the United States, Australia, and India. In collaboration with law enforcement agencies and other partners worldwide, Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit (DCU) facilitated a disruption of the ecosystem’s primary developers and infrastructure.

Read more…
Source:  Microsoft


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


Related:

  • The BlackByte ransomware group is striking users all over the globe

    May 18, 2022

    The BlackByte ransomware group uses its software for its own goals and as a ransomware-as-a-service offering to other criminals. The ransomware group and its affiliates have infected victims all over the world, from North America to Colombia, the Netherlands, China, Mexico and Vietnam. Cisco Talos has been monitoring BlackByte for several months and Talos can confirm ...

  • Emotet Summary: November 2021 Through January 2022

    May 17, 2022

    Emotet is one of the most prolific email-distributed malware families in our current threat landscape. Although a coordinated law enforcement effort shut down this malware in January 2021, Emotet resumed operations in November 2021. Since then, Emotet has returned to its status as a prominent threat. This blog provides a background on Emotet, and it reviews ...

  • FBI: North Korea’s tech workers are posing as freelance developers, helping hackers

    May 17, 2022

    Skilled software and mobile app developers from North Korea are posing as US-based remote workers to land contract work as developers in US and European tech and crypto firms. The warning comes in a new joint advisory from The US Department of State, the US Department of the Treasury, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) ...

  • China reveals its top five sources of online fraud

    May 17, 2022

    China’s Ministry of Public Security has revealed the five most prevalent types of fraud perpetrated online or by phone. The e-commerce scam known as “brushing” topped the list and accounted for around a third of all internet fraud activity in China. Brushing sees victims lured into making payment for goods that may not be delivered, or ...

  • Brazilian e-commerce firm Americanas reports multimillion-dollar loss following cyberattack

    May 16, 2022

    Brazilian e-commerce conglomerate Americanas.com reported a multimillion-dollar loss in sales in its financial results on Friday after a major cyberattack earlier this year. The company lost 923 million Brazilian reais ($183 million) in sales after two attacks that took place between February 19 and 20 and rendered its e-commerce operation unavailable. According to the company, physical ...

  • HTML attachments in phishing e-mails

    May 16, 2022

    The use of embedded HTML documents in phishing e-mails is a standard technique employed by cybercriminals. It does away with the need to put links in the e-mail body, which antispam engines and e-mail antiviruses usually detect with ease. HTML offers more possibilities than e-mail for camouflaging phishing content. There are two main types of HTML ...