Category Archives: Web Fraud 2.0

Russian Reshipping Service ‘SWAT USA Drop’ Exposed

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One of the largest cybercrime services for laundering stolen merchandise was hacked recently, exposing its internal operations, finances and organizational structure. Here’s a closer look at the Russia-based SWAT USA Drop Service, which currently employs more than 1,200 people across the United States who are knowingly or unwittingly involved in reshipping expensive consumer goods purchased with stolen credit cards. Continue reading Russian Reshipping Service ‘SWAT USA Drop’ Exposed→

.US Harbors Prolific Malicious Link Shortening Service

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The top-level domain for the United States — .US — is home to thousands of newly-registered domains tied to a malicious link shortening service that facilitates malware and phishing scams, new research suggests. The findings come close on the heels of a report that identified .US domains as among the most prevalent in phishing attacks over the past year. Continue reading .US Harbors Prolific Malicious Link Shortening Service→

The Fake Browser Update Scam Gets a Makeover

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One of the oldest malware tricks in the book — hacked websites claiming visitors need to update their Web browser before they can view any content — has roared back to life in the past few months. New research shows the attackers behind one such scheme have developed an ingenious way of keeping their malware from being taken down by security experts or law enforcement: By hosting the malicious files on a decentralized, anonymous cryptocurrency blockchain. Continue reading The Fake Browser Update Scam Gets a Makeover→

Tech CEO Sentenced to 5 Years in IP Address Scheme

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Amir Golestan, the 40-year-old CEO of the Charleston, S.C. based technology company Micfo LLC, has been sentenced to five years in prison for wire fraud. Golestan’s sentencing comes nearly two years after he pleaded guilty to using an elaborate network of phony companies to secure more than 735,000 Internet Protocol (IP) addresses from the American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN), the nonprofit which oversees IP addresses assigned to entities in the U.S., Canada, and parts of the Caribbean. Continue reading Tech CEO Sentenced to 5 Years in IP Address Scheme→

Phishers Spoof USPS, 12 Other Natl’ Postal Services

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Recent weeks have seen a sizable uptick in the number of phishing scams targeting U.S. Postal Service (USPS) customers. Here’s a look at an extensive SMS phishing operation that tries to steal personal and financial data by spoofing the USPS, as well as postal services in at least a dozen other countries worldwide. Continue reading Phishers Spoof USPS, 12 Other Natl’ Postal Services→

LastPass: ‘Horse Gone Barn Bolted’ is Strong Password

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The password manager service LastPass is now forcing some of its users to pick longer master passwords. LastPass says the changes are needed to ensure all customers are protected by their latest security improvements. But critics say the move is little more than a public relations stunt that will do nothing to help countless early adopters whose password vaults were exposed in a 2022 breach at LastPass. Continue reading LastPass: ‘Horse Gone Barn Bolted’ is Strong Password→

Experts Fear Crooks are Cracking Keys Stolen in LastPass Breach

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In November 2022, the password manager service LastPass disclosed a breach in which hackers stole password vaults containing both encrypted and plaintext data for more than 25 million users. Since then, a steady trickle of six-figure cryptocurrency heists targeting security-conscious people throughout the tech industry has led some security experts to conclude that crooks likely have succeeded at cracking open some of the stolen LastPass vaults. Continue reading Experts Fear Crooks are Cracking Keys Stolen in LastPass Breach→

Why is .US Being Used to Phish So Many of Us?

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Domain names ending in “.US” — the top-level domain for the United States — are among the most prevalent in phishing scams, new research shows. This is noteworthy because .US is overseen by the U.S. government, which is frequently the target of phishing domains ending in .US. Also, .US domains are only supposed to be available to U.S. citizens and to those who can demonstrate that they have a physical presence in the United States. Continue reading Why is .US Being Used to Phish So Many of Us?→

Karma Catches Up to Global Phishing Service 16Shop

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You’ve probably never heard of “16Shop,” but there’s a good chance someone using it has tried to phish you.

Last week, the international police organization INTERPOL said it had shuttered the notorious 16Shop, a popular phishing-as-a-service platform launched in 2017 that made it simple for even complete novices to conduct complex and convincing phishing scams. INTERPOL said authorities in Indonesia arrested the 21-year-old proprietor and one of his alleged facilitators, and that a third suspect was apprehended in Japan. Continue reading Karma Catches Up to Global Phishing Service 16Shop→

Teach a Man to Phish and He’s Set for Life

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One frustrating aspect of email phishing is the frequency with which scammers fall back on tried-and-true methods that really have no business working these days. Like attaching a phishing email to a traditional, clean email message, or leveraging link redirects on LinkedIn, or abusing an encoding method that makes it easy to disguise booby-trapped Microsoft Windows files as relatively harmless documents. Continue reading Teach a Man to Phish and He’s Set for Life→