Author Archives: BrianKrebs

Canada Charges Its “Most Prolific Cybercriminal”

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A 31-year-old Canadian man has been arrested and charged with fraud in connection with numerous ransomware attacks against businesses, government agencies and private citizens throughout Canada and the United States. Canadian authorities describe him as “the most prolific cybercriminal we’ve identified in Canada,” but so far they’ve released few other details about the investigation or the defendant. Helpfully, an email address and nickname apparently connected to the accused offer some additional clues. Continue reading Canada Charges Its “Most Prolific Cybercriminal”→

Who Is the Network Access Broker ‘Babam’?

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Rarely do cybercriminal gangs that deploy ransomware gain the initial access to the target themselves. More commonly, that access is purchased from a cybercriminal broker who specializes in stealing remote access credentials — such as usernames and passwords needed to remotely connect to the target’s network. In this post we’ll look at the clues left behind by “Babam,” the handle chosen by a cybercriminal who has sold such access to ransomware groups on many occasions over the past few years. Continue reading Who Is the Network Access Broker ‘Babam’?→

Ubiquiti Developer Charged With Extortion, Causing 2020 “Breach”

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In January 2021, technology vendor Ubiquiti Inc. [NYSE:UI] disclosed that a breach at a third party cloud provider had exposed customer account credentials. In March, a Ubiquiti employee warned that the company had drastically understated the scope of the incident, and that the third-party cloud provider claim was a fabrication. On Wednesday, a former Ubiquiti developer was arrested and charged with stealing data and trying to extort his employer while pretending to be a whistleblower. Continue reading Ubiquiti Developer Charged With Extortion, Causing 2020 “Breach”→

The Internet is Held Together With Spit & Baling Wire

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Imagine being able to disconnect or redirect Internet traffic destined for some of the world’s largest companies — just by spoofing an email. This is the nature of a threat vector recently removed by a Fortune 500 firm that operates one of the world’s largest Internet backbones. Continue reading The Internet is Held Together With Spit & Baling Wire→

Arrest in ‘Ransom Your Employer’ Email Scheme

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In August, KrebsOnSecurity warned that scammers were contacting people and asking them to unleash ransomware inside their employer’s network, in exchange for a percentage of any ransom amount paid by the victim company. This week, authorities in Nigeria arrested a suspect in connection with the scheme — a young man who said he was trying to save up money to help fund a new social network. Continue reading Arrest in ‘Ransom Your Employer’ Email Scheme→

The ‘Zelle Fraud’ Scam: How it Works, How to Fight Back

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One of the more common ways cybercriminals cash out access to bank accounts involves draining the victim’s funds via Zelle, a “peer-to-peer” (P2P) payment service used by many financial institutions that allows customers to quickly send cash to friends and family. Naturally, a great deal of phishing schemes that precede these bank account takeovers begin with a spoofed text message from the target’s bank warning about a suspicious Zelle transfer. What follows is a deep dive into how this increasingly clever Zelle fraud scam typically works, and what victims can do about it. Continue reading The ‘Zelle Fraud’ Scam: How it Works, How to Fight Back→

Tech CEO Pleads to Wire Fraud in IP Address Scheme

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The CEO of a South Carolina technology firm has pleaded guilty to 20 counts of wire fraud in connection with an elaborate network of phony companies set up to obtain more than 735,000 Internet Protocol (IP) addresses from the nonprofit organization that leases the digital real estate to entities in North America. Continue reading Tech CEO Pleads to Wire Fraud in IP Address Scheme→

Hoax Email Blast Abused Poor Coding in FBI Website

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The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) confirmed today that its fbi.gov domain name and Internet address were used to blast out thousands of fake emails about a cybercrime investigation. According to an interview with the person who claimed responsibility for the hoax, the spam messages were sent by abusing insecure code in an FBI online portal designed to share information with state and local law enforcement authorities. Continue reading Hoax Email Blast Abused Poor Coding in FBI Website→

SMS About Bank Fraud as a Pretext for Voice Phishing

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Most of us have probably heard the term “smishing” — which is a portmanteau for traditional phishing scams sent through SMS text messages. Smishing messages usually include a link to a site that spoofs a popular bank and tries to siphon personal information. But increasingly, phishers are turning to a hybrid form of smishing — blasting out linkless text messages about suspicious bank transfers as a pretext for immediately calling and scamming anyone who responds via text. Continue reading SMS About Bank Fraud as a Pretext for Voice Phishing→

Microsoft Patch Tuesday, November 2021 Edition

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Microsoft Corp. today released updates to quash at least 55 security bugs in its Windows operating systems and other software. Two of the patches address vulnerabilities that are already being used in active attacks online, and four of the flaws were disclosed publicly before today — potentially giving adversaries a head start in figuring out how to exploit them. Continue reading Microsoft Patch Tuesday, November 2021 Edition→