The Dark Nexus Between Harm Groups and ‘The Com’

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Fri, 13 Sep 2024 12:16:45 +0000

A cyberattack that shut down some of the top casinos in Las Vegas last year quickly became one of the most riveting security stories of 2023: It was the first known case of native English-speaking hackers in the United States and Britain teaming up with ransomware gangs based in Russia. But that made-for-Hollywood narrative has eclipsed a far more hideous trend: Many of these young, Western cybercriminals are also members of fast-growing online groups that exist solely to bully, stalk, harass and extort vulnerable teens into physically harming themselves and others.

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Owners of 1-Time Passcode Theft Service Plead Guilty

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Mon, 02 Sep 2024 16:46:35 +0000

Three men in the United Kingdom have pleaded guilty to operating otp[.]agency, a once popular online service that helped attackers intercept the one-time passcodes (OTPs) that many websites require as a second authentication factor in addition to passwords. Launched in November 2019, OTP Agency was a service for intercepting one-time passwords needed to log in to various websites. Scammers would enter the target’s phone number and name, and the service would initiate an automated phone call to the target that alerts them about unauthorized activity on their account.

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Cybercrime Rapper Sues Bank over Fraud Investigation

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Wed, 07 Aug 2024 19:01:49 +0000

In January, KrebsOnSecurity wrote about rapper Punchmade Dev, whose music videos sing the praises of a cybercrime lifestyle. That story showed how Punchmade’s social media profiles promoted Punchmade-themed online stores selling bank account and payment card data. Now the Kentucky native is suing his financial institution after it blocked a $75,000 wire transfer and froze his account, citing an active law enforcement investigation.

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U.S. Trades Cybercriminals to Russia in Prisoner Swap

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Fri, 02 Aug 2024 00:15:44 +0000

Twenty-four prisoners were freed today in an international prisoner swap between Russia and Western countries. Among the eight Russians repatriated were five convicted cybercriminals. In return, Russia has reportedly released 16 prisoners, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and ex-U.S. Marine Paul Whelan.

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The Stark Truth Behind the Resurgence of Russia’s Fin7

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Wed, 10 Jul 2024 16:22:59 +0000

The Russia-based cybercrime group dubbed “Fin7,” known for phishing and malware attacks that have cost victim organizations an estimated $3 billion in losses since 2013, was declared dead last year by U.S. authorities. But experts say Fin7 has roared back to life in 2024 — setting up thousands of websites mimicking a range of media and technology companies — with the help of Stark Industries Solutions, a sprawling hosting provider is a persistent source of cyberattacks against enemies of Russia.

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The Not-So-Secret Network Access Broker x999xx

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Wed, 03 Jul 2024 16:41:34 +0000

Most accomplished cybercriminals go out of their way to separate their real names from their hacker handles. But among certain old-school Russian hackers it is not uncommon to find major players who have done little to prevent people from figuring out who they are in real life. A case study in this phenomenon is “x999xx,” the nickname chosen by a venerated Russian hacker who specializes in providing the initial network access to various ransomware groups.

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Alleged Boss of ‘Scattered Spider’ Hacking Group Arrested

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Sat, 15 Jun 2024 23:40:20 +0000

A 22-year-old man from the United Kingdom arrested this week in Spain is allegedly the ringleader of Scattered Spider, a cybercrime group suspected of hacking into Twilio, LastPass, DoorDash, Mailchimp, and nearly 130 other organizations over the past two years.

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‘Operation Endgame’ Hits Malware Delivery Platforms

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Thu, 30 May 2024 15:19:44 +0000

Law enforcement agencies in the United States and Europe today announced Operation Endgame, a coordinated action against some of the most popular cybercrime platforms for delivering ransomware and data-stealing malware. Dubbed “the largest ever operation against botnets,” the international effort is being billed as the opening salvo in an ongoing campaign targeting advanced malware “droppers” or “loaders” like IcedID, Smokeloader and Trickbot.

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