Latest cybersecurity reporting from selected sources.

China-based phishing groups blamed for non-stop scam SMS messages about a supposed wayward package or unpaid toll fee are promoting a new offering, just in time for the holiday shopping season: Phishing kits for mass-creating fake but convincing e-commerce websites that convert customer payment card data into mobile wallets from Apple and Google. Experts say these same phishing groups also are now using SMS lures that promise unclaimed tax refunds and mobile rewards points.

Google is suing more than two dozen unnamed individuals allegedly involved in peddling a popular China-based mobile phishing service that helps scammers impersonate hundreds of trusted brands, blast out text message lures, and convert phished payment card data into mobile wallets from Apple and Google.

Google has filed a lawsuit to dismantle the "Lighthouse" phishing-as-a-service platform used by cybercriminals worldwide to steal credit card information through SMS phishing attacks impersonating the U.S. Postal Service and E-ZPass toll systems. [...]

Google has filed a lawsuit to dismantle the "Lighthouse" phishing-as-a-service platform used by cybercriminals worldwide to steal credit card information through SMS phishing attacks impersonating the U.S. Postal Service and E-ZPass toll systems. [...]

Attack Combines Social Engineering and Card Emulation to Execute Real-Time TheftHackers are using Chinese-speaking Android malware-as-a-service SuperCard X to carry out near-field communication relay attacks, siphoning payment card data and executing live point of sale and ATM transactions. Victims receive spoofed SMS or WhatsApp alerts purporting to originate from their bank.

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.

An ongoing phishing campaign impersonating E-ZPass and other toll agencies has surged recently, with recipients receiving multiple iMessage and SMS texts to steal personal and credit card information. [...]

Microsoft is calling attention to a Morocco-based cybercrime group dubbed Storm-0539 that's behind gift card fraud and theft through highly sophisticated email and SMS phishing attacks

Microsoft is warning of an uptick in malicious activity from an emerging threat cluster it's tracking as Storm-0539 for orchestrating gift card fraud and theft via highly sophisticated email and SMS phishing attacks against retail entities during the holiday shopping season

Hackers discussed how to use stolen payment cards and bypass geo controls and SMS limitations