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18 stories in the last 7d

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Phishing Attacks Abuse Trusted Email Infrastructure and URL Cloaking to Evade Security Filters

VBSpam Q3 2026 test shows phishers abusing DKIM-aligned domains, Amazon SES, and multi-stage URL cloaking to defeat email filters.

Virus Bulletin's Q3 2026 VBSpam test (AMTSO-LS1-TP207) found phishing campaigns moving payloads past the email itself via browser-fingerprinting gates, redirect chains, and hidden POST requests. Examples include a Dutch McAfee/TotalAV scareware renewal scam, a German overdue-payment Web3 fraud delivered via Amazon SES from DKIM-aligned moolaah.com, and Romanian BCR PSD2 credential phishing embedding IPv6-mapped URLs resolving to 103.193.179.223. Net at Work NoSpamProxy ranked first with a 99.995 score while open-source Rspamd caught only 62.55% of phishing mail.

GBHackers · 9h agoPhishing & fraud in the wild 2 sources

HBO Max Reddit account compromised to serve ClickFix attacks

Attackers hijacked HBO Max's verified Reddit account to run 108 ClickFix malvertising ads delivering infostealers, loaders, and crypto clippers to Windows and macOS users.

Attackers compromised the verified HBO Max Reddit account (u/hbomax) to push 108 malicious ads in a 48-hour malvertising blitz named PasteSwitch, analyzed by Hudson Rock and ADAMnetworks. The ClickFix lures directed victims to fake landing pages instructing them to paste commands into Terminal, delivering OS-targeted infostealers, malware loaders, and cryptocurrency clippers. Lures included 46 HBO Max ads, 36 fake OpenAI Codex ads, 15 fake macOS disk utilities, and 11 developer-tool ads. The AnimateClipper and ZigClipper payloads use Binance Smart Chain contracts as resilient C2 fallback, with 36 mainnet changes observed between March and July 2026; Reddit paused the ads three days after discovery and is investigating.

The Register · Securityupdated · 10h agofirst · 23h agoPhishing & fraud in the wild 7 sources

ClickFix attacks are tricking Mac and Windows users into hacking themselves

ClickFix campaigns trick users into pasting terminal commands via fake CAPTCHAs; latest wave abused HBO Max's hacked Reddit account to push infostealer ads.

ClickFix attacks use fake CAPTCHA or anti-bot prompts on hacked or counterfeit websites to convince victims to copy a command into Windows Command Prompt or macOS Terminal, instantly installing infostealers that steal passwords, logged-in sessions, and crypto wallets. The latest campaign compromised HBO Max's official Reddit account to post hundreds of fake ads linking to a spoofed HBO Max page carrying the lure, per researchers at Hudson Rock. It is unclear how many users were compromised. Because execution happens in the terminal, many attacks evade antivirus tools; enterprises can block terminals domain-wide and Mac users can deploy BlockBlock.

TechCrunch · Security · 1d agoPhishing & fraud in the wild1

Attackers Use Passkey Phishing to Hijack Microsoft Cloud Accounts and Exfiltrate Data

Microsoft details two campaigns: million-email CEO impersonation ACH fraud and passkey-themed vishing that hijacks Microsoft cloud accounts for data theft and extortion.

Microsoft disclosed a campaign that sent over one million CEO-impersonation scam emails between August 3-5, 2026, targeting U.S. accounts payable departments with fake ServiceNow subscription invoices to induce ACH transfers, using generative AI to tailor templates. A second campaign detected since May 2026 uses passkey/MFA-themed voice phishing posing as the IT help desk, redirecting victims via SMS to counterfeit Microsoft sign-in pages and adversary-in-the-middle or device-code flows to hijack accounts. Post-compromise activity includes adding attacker-controlled authentication methods, high-volume Microsoft Graph activity, SharePoint and OneDrive downloads, and mailbox collection via REST APIs. Microsoft attributes initial access to Storm-3121 (linked to ShinyHunters and Falcon extortion) and Storm-3032 (UNC6671, a BlackFile splinter operating the Helix extortion brand).

The Hacker News · 2d agoPhishing & fraud in the wild2

New Phishing Campaign Abuses Windows Mshta.exe to Steal Credentials and Secrets

Fortra researchers track an active phishing campaign targeting Spanish speakers that abuses mshta.exe to run HTA payloads for reconnaissance and credential theft.

Fortra's FIRE team says a phishing campaign active since June 2026 targets Spanish-speaking users with invoice ('Facturación') and judicial ('Aviso Judicial') lures, many sent via libero.it/italiaonline.it infrastructure with SCL:-1 markings to bypass anti-spam. Clicking embedded links delivers an HTA launcher executed via mshta.exe, which hides its window off-screen, builds dynamic C2 URLs, and performs reconnaissance using WMI, PowerShell, and environment-variable inspection. A second-stage JavaScript dropper uses HTML smuggling to reconstruct a Base64-encoded ZIP in the browser, delivering a 7-Zip self-extracting executable disguised as a Firefox installer; staged design allows later delivery of credential stealers or ransomware. Defenders are urged to block archivogratuito[.]online and shortener domains goo[.]su, abrir[.]link, and abre[.]ai, and to restrict mshta.exe execution via AppLocker or ASR rules.

GBHackers · 3d agoPhishing & fraud in the wild1

Threat Actor Generates 1M Personalized Fraud Emails in 3 Days

Cybercriminals used AI to generate 1 million personalized fraud emails in three days, eliminating the traditional volume-versus-credibility tradeoff.

Dark Reading reports that a threat actor used AI to generate approximately 1 million personalized fraudulent emails within three days. The article highlights that AI now lets malicious email campaigns combine high volume with high credibility, removing a historic constraint on phishing operations. No specific gang, victim list, or tooling is named in the available text.

Dark Reading · 4d agoPhishing & fraud in the wild

Passkey-themed phishing attacks lead to Microsoft 365 data theft

Microsoft links ShinyHunters- and Helix-affiliated actors to passkey-themed vishing and device-code phishing that compromises Microsoft 365 accounts and steals cloud data.

Microsoft attributes passkey- and SSO-themed social engineering activity, observed since May 2026, to Storm-3121 (linked to ShinyHunters and Falcon) and Storm-3032 (tied to BlackFile members now operating as Helix). Attackers impersonate corporate IT help desks by phone or SMS, urging fake passkey, MFA, or SSO updates and directing victims to adversary-in-the-middle phishing pages or device-code authentication flows that yield credentials, session tokens, and OAuth tokens. Post-compromise behavior includes Microsoft Graph enumeration of users, SharePoint, and OAuth grants, plus persistence via attacker-controlled MFA methods. Google Threat Intelligence tracks related activity as UNC6671, linked to the BlackFile, Helix, Falcon, Pink, and Redact extortion gangs.

BleepingComputer · 4d agoPhishing & fraud in the wild 13 sources

India’s STPI serves TerminalFix-style attack via fake Cloudflare check

India's STPI government website serves a spoofed Cloudflare verification page that preloads malicious commands into visitors' clipboards for execution in Windows Terminal, matching TerminalFix-style attacks.

A malicious external JavaScript on the ananta.stpi[.]in subdomain of India's Software Technology Parks of India displays a fake Cloudflare 'Verify you are human' prompt and silently writes a URL into the visitor's clipboard, instructing the user to paste and execute it in Windows Terminal. Researcher Vibhum Dubey reported the behavior to STPI and CERT-In; the script loads from the recently registered cdn[.]quickdelivr[.]com and assigns each visitor a unique session identifier. The malicious script remained embedded after the overlay briefly disappeared, and the destination URL was flagged as malicious by 17 VirusTotal engines. No attribution has been established, though the pattern matches Microsoft's TerminalFix, a variant of ClickFix.

CSO Online · 4d agoPhishing & fraud in the wild1

Trezor: 347,000 users targeted in phishing attacks after Brevo breach

Trezor reported phishing after the Brevo breach targeted 347,000 newsletter subscribers, with 2,500 users clicking before the domain was taken down.

Threat actors who breached Trezor's third-party email provider Brevo on September 9, 2026 sent fake 'critical security alert' emails from [email protected] to 347,000 opted-in newsletter subscribers, claiming an STM32 microcontroller vulnerability exposed wallet seeds. The emails linked to a malicious app that asked users to enter their wallet backup; 2,500 users clicked before Trezor disabled the phishing domain within 20 minutes. Trezor also disclosed that a prior breach via logistics provider ShipMonk, exploited through a critical Metabase SQL injection zero-day, affected 81,000 customers and drew extortion emails from the ShinyHunters gang.

BleepingComputerupdated · 4d agofirst · 4d agoPhishing & fraud in the wild 6 sources

How Threat Actors Are Turning Trusted AI Platforms Into an Attack Surface

Huntress details campaigns abusing Claude Artifacts, claude.ai/share links, and ChatGPT/Grok conversations to deliver SectopRAT, MacSync, and AMOS stealers.

Huntress SOC documented nine months of campaigns in which attackers weaponized trusted AI platform features—Claude Artifacts, public claude.ai/share links, and indexable ChatGPT/Grok conversations—to deliver malware. The July FakeAgent campaign hit more than 29 organizations via a malicious Claude Artifact posing as a Claude Desktop download page that redirected to SectopRAT. A claude.ai/share link disguised as an Apple Support guide tricked a victim into running a curl command that deployed the MacSync stealer, harvesting cookies, credentials, keychain secrets, Telegram sessions, and SSH/cloud keys, while SEO-poisoned ChatGPT and Grok conversations delivered the AMOS stealer via ClickFix-style instructions.

BleepingComputer · 4d agoPhishing & fraud in the wild

Hackers Use AI-Assisted CEO Emails to Trick Finance Teams Into Sending $50,000 Payments.

Microsoft tracked a million-message AI-assisted BEC campaign impersonating executives with fake ServiceNow invoices to steal ~$50,000 ACH payments.

Microsoft detected over one million messages in a BEC campaign running August 3-5, using AI-assisted phishing templates, executive impersonation, and fabricated ServiceNow subscription invoices to trick finance teams into authorizing fraudulent ACH payments of roughly $50,000. The US received 87.7% of volume. Attackers used lookalike domains like service-nowinc[.]com registered just days before delivery, with no compromise of ServiceNow itself. Telltale signs included verbose HTML comments, uniform formatting, and inconsistent forwarded-message headers.

GBHackersupdated · 4d agofirst · 4d agoPhishing & fraud in the wild 2 sources

Google Play Early Access Abused to Push Thousands of Deceptive Android Apps

Bitdefender found abuse of Google Play's review-free Early Access program to push thousands of deceptive casino and reward apps promoted with AI deepfake ads.

Bitdefender reports threat actors are abusing Google Play's Early Access program, which blocks public reviews and ratings, to distribute thousands of deceptive casino, reward, and utility apps. A GTA imitator, 'Vice Streets: Open World,' surpassed 1 million downloads before disappearing, with apps promoted via AI celebrity deepfake ads on TikTok and Facebook and monetized through endless ad serving and payouts that never arrive. The report coincides with disclosures on Android malware families Hagaseca, Mantax Otax, StreamRat, and GoldFactory's Gigabud banking trojan with its Vwork companion app used for cloned-app financial fraud.

The Hacker Newsupdated · 4d agofirst · 5d agoPhishing & fraud in the wild 6 sources

ClickFix attacks infecting PCs and Macs are going viral

ClickFix social engineering attacks are spreading widely, delivering malware to Windows and macOS users by tricking them into running malicious terminal commands that bypass Gatekeeper.

BlueVoyant reports the Lorem Ipsum malware operation pivoted to ClickFix in late May 2026, dropping code-signing infrastructure and broadening its victim pool from Microsoft Teams searchers to anyone browsing a compromised website. Jamf and independent researchers documented macOS ClickFix variants that bypass Gatekeeper protections. Cisco Talos observed attackers abusing published Google Sheets for control traffic, while Netskope counted 5,400 sites beaconing to one campaign; Sandworm has separately hosted control infrastructure in blockchain smart contracts.

Ars Technica · Security · 4d agoPhishing & fraud in the wild1

Detect and disrupt AI-themed attacks with Microsoft Defender

Microsoft Threat Intelligence reports criminal campaigns impersonating ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude, and DeepSeek in phishing, AiTM, and malvertising attacks reaching 100,000 emails daily.

Microsoft Threat Intelligence observed a growing set of campaigns that abuse trust in popular AI brands: a ChatGPT-themed phishing campaign sent up to 100,000 emails in one day to steal payment card data, and a Claude-themed campaign used adversary-in-the-middle techniques to harvest credentials and access tokens. Other campaigns included malvertising for a fake AI Windows plugin delivering the Vidar stealer and fraudulent DeepSeek installers distributed via GitHub. Initial access broker Storm-3075 used AI-themed malvertising to distribute payloads for multiple downstream actors, and Microsoft notes the AI services themselves were not compromised. Microsoft also details Defender protections such as Safe Links, Safe Attachments, and attack disruption against these multi-stage lures.

Microsoft Security Blog · 5d agoPhishing & fraud in the wild1

Copyright scammers get Instagram accounts suspended and demand payment

Scammers file fake Instagram copyright complaints to suspend accounts, then demand ransom via Telegram; Meta restored some affected accounts.

Criminals impersonate rights holders to file fraudulent copyright complaints on Instagram, and repeated claims can trigger temporary account suspensions. They then move victims to Telegram and demand payment, often in cryptocurrency, to withdraw the complaint; one history account owner paid $50 and was targeted again immediately. Meta's automated system does not verify complainants before acting, and the Delhi High Court is examining whether platforms can legally suspend accounts over copyright claims. Meta acknowledged in court that 13 strike notices against one user were fraudulent, and after BBC review it restored affected content and added unspecified protections.

Malwarebytes Labs · 5d agoPhishing & fraud in the wild

Hackers Abuse Google Sheets to Hijack Crypto Wallet Addresses in ClickFix Attacks

Cisco Talos details a crypto-theft ClickFix campaign abusing Google Sheets to swap wallet addresses, with about $10,000 in observed Bitcoin losses.

Cisco Talos tracks a ClickFix-style campaign that tricks cryptocurrency traders into pasting JavaScript into Chrome's address bar or a Tampermonkey extension, promising fake bonuses on SwapZone and SimpleSwap. The loader pulls obfuscated JavaScript from cells in a public Google Sheet via the Visualization API, then behaves like a web skimmer, rewriting deposit addresses on screen, in web responses, and in the clipboard. Researchers counted 49 attacker-controlled Bitcoin addresses, with 24 receiving a combined 0.159 BTC, roughly $10,000, by early August 2026. A Tampermonkey variant re-injects the payload on every return visit, giving the attackers persistence despite takedown efforts.

Cyber Security Newsupdated · 6d agofirst · 6d agoPhishing & fraud in the wild 3 sources

Phishing Attacks Serve Browser-in-the-Browser Pages, Rogue RMM Persistence

Phishing emails with browser-in-the-browser fake Adobe pages trick users into installing rogue ScreenConnect clients granting persistent remote access.

Huntress SOC investigated two August incidents where phishing links led to fake CAPTCHA checks and Adobe PDF Reader lures rendered as browser-in-the-browser (BiTB) pages spoofing legitimate domains like get.adobe.com. Victims downloaded what they believed was Acrobat Reader but actually installed ScreenConnect.ClientSetup.exe from attacker infrastructure, yielding two rogue ScreenConnect clients with service-based persistence. The attacker used cmd.exe and curl to stage a second client connecting to 144.172.115.59, leveraged a ScreenConnect Trial Relay domain for stealth, and ran HideCursor.exe as a defense-evasion binary. Incident 2 arrived via AT&T Office@Hand (RingCentral), with both chains stopped before broader impact.

Huntress · 6d agoPhishing & fraud in the wild

Safe word: What is it and why do you need one?

ESET recommends pre-agreed family safe words to counter AI voice-clone scams such as virtual kidnapping, as one-in-four Americans report receiving deepfake calls.

ESET outlines how scammers use just seconds of audio scraped from social media or work content to create convincing voice clones, with a Hiya report finding one-in-four Americans received a deepfake voice call in the past 12 months. Common schemes include virtual kidnapping calls mixing cloned voices with sobbing and background noise. A pre-agreed, non-OSINT-discoverable safe word, plus callback verification via known numbers and 2FA, reduces success rates of these frauds.

ESET WeLiveSecurity · 6d agoPhishing & fraud in the wild