Collaborate Disseminate
It’s the Eastern District of New York’s biggest recovery from a cybercrime to date.
The post U.S. recovers millions from infamous ‘3ve’ advertising scam group appeared first on CyberScoop.
Continue reading U.S. recovers millions from infamous ‘3ve’ advertising scam group
A network that delivers ads to hundreds of Android apps also is directing users to malicious websites that could help scammers steal their information or overrun their device with spam. At least 400 apps in Google’s Play Store come embedded with proprietary software that is designed to help app developers monetize their program by serving ads. Scammers are exploiting that process, though, by inserting malicious ads into the software development kits (SDKs) which are meant to help developers earn a living. Domains and URLs sent in ads from the distribution framework known as StartApp flood users with links to malicious sites or push notifications for spam, according to new findings from mobile security firm Wandera provided exclusively to CyberScoop. StartApp, created and run by a New York-based marketing firm, does not appear to be behind any malicious content, though it is compensated by other firms that supply it with the malicious ads. StartApp did not […]
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Continue reading Scammers are abusing mobile ad networks in an attempt to phish Android app users
Scammers who have infiltrated the advertising ecosystem are using data centers to impersonate a range of connected devices in order to defraud marketers, according to new findings. New York-based security firm White Ops on Thursday disclosed a vast, ongoing scheme in which fraudsters are charging advertising companies for ad space on smart TVs, and then not delivering on their promise. To boost their credibility, the scammers are disguising bot activity which originates in global data centers as legitimate traffic in order to dupe anti-fraud services. The campaign, which White Ops has named Ice Bucket, is an updated version of the notorious Methbot/3ve scheme, in which scammers sold commercial advertising space in videos and websites that were never viewed by real humans. Methbot scammers earned roughly $29 million between 2014 and 2018, according to the Department of Justice, and also used data center traffic to seem legitimate. While White Ops declined […]
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Continue reading Scammers are masquerading as smart TV owners to fleece advertisers, researchers say
Fifty-six apps in Google’s Play store included malicious software that leveraged victims’ devices to click on mobile advertisements, artificially inflating the traffic to those ads and helping scammers make money. Research published Tuesday by the security firm Check Point Technologies details how fraudsters used the network of apps, which were downloaded more than 1 million times, to exploit users’ trust and make a buck. Unlike so many other ad fraud efforts, this campaign was tailored toward children, with 24 of the 56 apps marketed towards kids. Entertainment apps and games with titles like “Cooking Delicious” and “Let Me Go,” a puzzle app, tempted kids into downloading, and then launched the malicious tool. The apps included “Tekya,” a so-called clicker malware that clicked banners and other ads from a variety of sources. Along with kids’ apps, Tekya also came embedded in cooking, calculator, translation and other utility apps. Google removed all […]
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A federal indictment charged eight individuals with perpetrating widespread digital advertising fraud that cost businesses millions of dollars. On 27 November, a federal court in Brooklyn unsealed the indictment charging Aleksandr Zhukov, Boris Timokhi… Continue reading Eight Individuals Indicted for Perpetrating Digital Advertising Fraud
A massive malware campaign has already infected 250 million Windows and Mac OS computers worldwide. Continue reading Fireball Malware Infects 250 Million Computers Worldwide
A massive malware campaign has already infected 250 million Windows and Mac OS computers worldwide. Continue reading Fireball Malware Infects 250 Million Computers Worldwide
New research suggests that an elaborate cybercrime ring is responsible for stealing between $3 million and $5 million worth of revenue from online publishers and video advertising networks each day. Experts say the scam relies on a vast network of cloaked Internet addresses, rented data centers, phony Web sites and fake users made to look like real people watching short ad segments online. Continue reading Report: $3-5M in Ad Fraud Daily from ‘Methbot’
The same group of cybercriminals behind YiSpecter, a strain of iOS malware uncovered last year, are also behind a new type of Android malware, HummingBad.
Continue reading Chinese Ad Firm Raking in $300K a Month Through Adfraud, Android Malware