Latest cybersecurity reporting from selected sources.

Outsider provided phishing kits and infrastructure for cybercriminals to scam victims with lures claiming they missed packages, had unpaid tolls or parking violations. The post FBI takes down massive China-based cybercrime network that caused $1.9B in losses appeared first on CyberScoop.

Google on Friday said it's pursuing legal action against a Chinese cybercrime network, accusing it of using its Gemini artificial intelligence (AI) agent to send phishing text messages targeting Americans

UNC3753 phones staff posing as IT, hijacks screen sessions, steals sensitive legal files, and now sends operatives physically into offices to plug in USB drives. Google Mandiant and the Google Threat Intelligence Group published a detailed report documenting an active extortion campaign carried out by the cybercrime group UNC3753 (aka Luna Moth, Chatty Spider, and […]

Suspected Russian Crime Group Built Resilient Command-and-Control InfrastructureIn a joint operation, CrowdStrike, Google and Shadowserver Foundation disrupted infrastructure used by the Glassworm cybercrime group, cutting off attackers from victims. The group has wielded a remote access Trojan to repeatedly target developers of widely used open-source software.

Researchers found artifacts in the code that proved AI was heavily involved. A prominent cybercrime group planned to exploit the zero-day en masse for financial gain. The post Google spotted an AI-developed zero-day before attackers could use it appeared first on CyberScoop.

Google’s research report on ransomware activity last year underscores how cybercrime is evolving and clouding a collective understanding of its full impact and scale. The post The ransomware economy is shifting toward straight-up data extortion appeared first on CyberScoop.

CRM-Obsessed ShinyHunters Gang Exploits Misconfigured Customer Experience PortalsA prolific and noisy cybercrime gang with a penchant for stealing Salesforce customers' data and holding it ransom is taking advantage of misconfigured guest accounts meant to provide public access to services meant to remain private, using a Google scanning tool to identify vulnerable accounts.

A newly identified cybercrime service known as 1Campaign is enabling threat actors to run malicious Google Ads that remain online for extended periods while evading scrutiny from security researchers. [...]

Google has taken coordinated action against the massive IPIDEA residential proxy network, enhancing customer protections and disrupting cybercrime operations

A new Android malware-as-a-service (MaaS) named Cellik is being advertised on underground cybercrime forums offering a robust set of capabilities that include the option to embed it in any app available on the Google Play Store. [...]

Meanwhile, others tried to social-engineer the chatbot itself Nation-state goons and cybercrime rings are experimenting with Gemini to develop a "Thinking Robot" malware module that can rewrite its own code to avoid detection, and build an AI agent that tracks enemies' behavior, according to Google Threat Intelligence Group.…

Steganography, Mobile Marketing Attribution, Code Obfuscation Deployed for Ad FraudA cybercrime crew using Android mobile apps to conduct advertising fraud took unusual pains to hide its activity, concealing malicious code in downloadable digital images and holding off from infecting the subset of users who organically found their apps through the Google Play store.

Defrauding search with custom malware, Potato-family exploits A new China-aligned cybercrime crew named GhostRedirector has compromised at least 65 Windows servers worldwide - spotted in a June internet scan - using previously undocumented malware to juice gambling sites' rankings in Google search, according to ESET researchers.…

The notorious cybercrime group known as Scattered Spider is targeting VMware ESXi hypervisors in attacks targeting retail, airline, and transportation sectors in North America

Hacking Group UNC6148 Steals Credentials With New OVERSTEP Rootkit, Google SaysA cybercrime group used a backdoor in a fully patched SonicWall appliance to steal credentials and may have sold the stolen data to ransomware groups as part of an ongoing campaign, Google Threat Intelligence Group found. The firm attributed the campaign to a cybercrime group it tracks as UNC6148.

The notorious cybercrime group known as Scattered Spider (aka UNC3944) that recently targeted various U.K. and U.S. retailers has begun to target major insurance companies, according to Google Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG)

China-based purveyors of SMS phishing kits are enjoying remarkable success converting phished payment card data into mobile wallets from Apple and Google. Until recently, the so-called “Smishing Triad” mainly impersonated toll road operators and shipping companies. But experts say these groups are now directly targeting customers of international financial institutions, while dramatically expanding their cybercrime infrastructure and support staff.

Carding -- the underground business of stealing, selling and swiping stolen payment card data -- has long been the dominion of Russia-based hackers. Happily, the broad deployment of more secure chip-based payment cards in the United States has weakened the carding market. But a flurry of innovation from cybercrime groups in China is breathing new life into the carding industry, by turning phished card data into mobile wallets that can be used online and at main street stores.

Russia, China, Iran and North Korea Tapping Cybercrime Services, Google SaysThe cybercrime-as-a-service economy continues to power ransomware and other criminal enterprises, as well as serve as "an accelerant for state-sponsored hacking," collectively posing an increasing risk to Western national security, cybersecurity researchers warn.

Also: Payment Card Theft Trends, Internet Archive UpdateThis week, bulk data transfers to China, credit card theft, the Internet Archive still recovering and the Change Healthcare tally is now 100M. Ukraine fought phishers, civil society against the UN cybercrime treaty, TA866 and virtual hard drives spread malware. Google verified Sir Isaac Newton.