CyberSecurity news
FlagThis - #smishing
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Stu Sjouwerman@blog.knowbe4.com
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A China-based cybercriminal gang known as the "Smishing Triad" is reportedly launching a wave of SMS phishing attacks, or "smishing," targeting users in both the US and the UK. These attacks are themed around road tolls, with victims receiving text messages that appear to be from toll road operators. The messages warn recipients of unpaid toll fees and potential fines if the fees are not promptly addressed. Cybersecurity researchers have issued warnings about this widespread and ongoing SMS phishing campaign, noting that it has been actively targeting toll road users since mid-October 2024, aiming to steal their financial information.
Researchers have linked the surge in these SMS scams to new features added to a popular commercial phishing kit sold in China. This kit simplifies the process of creating convincing lures that spoof toll road operators across multiple US states. The phishing pages are designed to closely mimic the websites of these operators as they appear on mobile devices, and in some cases, will not even load unless accessed from a mobile device. The goal of these kits is to obtain enough information from victims to add their payment cards to mobile wallets. These cards can then be used for fraudulent purchases in physical stores, online, or to launder money through shell companies. The phishing campaigns often impersonate U.S. electronic toll collection systems like E-ZPass, sending SMS messages and Apple iMessages to individuals across several states including Washington, Florida, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Texas, Ohio, Illinois, and Kansas. The texts prompt recipients to click on a fake link, often requiring them to reply with "Y" to activate the link, a tactic used in other phishing kits. Victims who click the link are directed to a fraudulent E-ZPass page where they are asked to enter personal and financial information, which is then stolen by the attackers. Recommended read:
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Stu Sjouwerman@blog.knowbe4.com
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Tolling agencies throughout the United States are currently grappling with an escalating cybersecurity threat: deceptive text message scams known as smishing. These scams involve cybercriminals sending text messages that impersonate toll payment notifications, tricking individuals into clicking malicious links and making unauthorized payments. These messages often embed links that, if clicked, take the victim to a phishing site impersonating E-ZPass, The Toll Roads, FasTrak, Florida Turnpike, or another toll authority.
These scams are part of a sophisticated campaign leveraging platforms, most recently a PhaaS platform called Lucid. This platform enables cybercriminals to launch large-scale phishing campaigns with minimal effort. Cybercriminals behind this scheme are exploiting legitimate communication technologies like Apple iMessage and Android RCS to bypass traditional spam filters and deliver their malicious messages at scale. The phishing messages typically claim unpaid toll fees and threaten fines or license suspension if recipients fail to respond. The Lucid platform offers advanced features such as dynamic targeting, device-specific focus, and evasion techniques. These features allow attackers to tailor campaigns for iOS or Android users, block connections from non-targeted regions, and prevent direct access to phishing domains. Recommended read:
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Stu Sjouwerman@blog.knowbe4.com
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Cyber Security News
, gbhackers.com
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A widespread smishing campaign targeting toll road users across the United States has been uncovered by cybersecurity researchers. The campaign, active since October 2024, involves attackers sending fraudulent SMS messages claiming that victims owe small amounts, typically under $5, for unpaid tolls. These messages warn of late fees and redirect recipients to spoofed websites designed to mimic legitimate toll service platforms like E-ZPass. The goal is to steal sensitive user information, including personal details and credit card information.
These fraudulent websites prompt victims to solve a fake CAPTCHA before being redirected to a webpage displaying a fabricated bill. The bill includes the victim’s name and warns of a $35 late payment fee, urging them to proceed with payment. Once victims click “Proceed Now,” they are taken to another fake page where they are asked to provide personal details such as their name, address, phone number, and credit card information. This data is then stolen by the threat actors. The campaign spans at least eight states, including Washington, Florida, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Texas, Ohio, Illinois, and Kansas, identified through spoofed domains containing state-specific abbreviations observed in the SMS messages. Cisco Talos attributes this campaign to multiple financially motivated threat actors using smishing kits developed by an individual known as “Wang Duo Yu.” These kits have been previously linked to large-scale smishing attacks targeting mail services like USPS and financial institutions. Wang Duo Yu operates several Telegram channels and forums promoting smishing kits and offering tutorials on phishing techniques. His kits are priced between $20 and $50 depending on the features and support provided. The typosquatted domains used in the campaign resolve to specific IP addresses: 45[.]152[.]115[.]161, 82[.]147[.]88[.]22, and more recently 43[.]156[.]47[.]209. Recommended read:
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@www.silentpush.com
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A China-based eCrime group known as the Smishing Triad has expanded its operations, targeting users across more than 121 countries with sophisticated SMS phishing campaigns. Originally focused on impersonating toll road operators and shipping companies, the group has now pivoted to directly target customers of international financial institutions. This expansion is accompanied by a dramatic increase in their cybercrime infrastructure and support staff, signaling a significant escalation in their activities. The group's operations span a diverse range of industries, including postal, logistics, telecommunications, transportation, finance, retail, and public sectors.
The Smishing Triad's infrastructure is vast, utilizing over 8,800 unique IP addresses and stretching across more than 200 Autonomous System Numbers (ASNs). Recent data from server logs analyzed by Silent Push reveal that the group's infrastructure has been highly active, with over one million page visits logged in just 20 days. This suggests that the actual number of SMS phishing messages sent may be significantly higher than the previously estimated 100,000 per day. A large portion of the group's phishing sites are hosted by major Chinese companies, Tencent and Alibaba, indicating a strong connection to Chinese cyberspace. The group's latest tactic involves the introduction of the "Lighthouse" phishing kit, unveiled on a Telegram channel by the developer identified as Wang Duo Yu. This kit targets numerous financial institutions, particularly in Australia and the broader Asia-Pacific region, as well as major Western financial institutions like PayPal, Mastercard, and HSBC. The Lighthouse kit boasts advanced features such as one-click setup, real-time synchronization, and mechanisms to bypass multiple layers of security like OTP, PIN, and 3DS verification, making it a formidable tool for stealing banking credentials. Smishing Triad boasts it has “300+ front desk staff worldwide” supporting the Lighthouse kit, and continues to sell its phishing kits to other threat actors via Telegram. Recommended read:
References :
@www.silentpush.com
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A China-based eCrime group known as the Smishing Triad has expanded its operations, targeting users across more than 121 countries with sophisticated SMS phishing campaigns. Originally focused on impersonating toll road operators and shipping companies, the group has now pivoted to directly target customers of international financial institutions. This expansion is accompanied by a dramatic increase in their cybercrime infrastructure and support staff, signaling a significant escalation in their activities. The group's operations span a diverse range of industries, including postal, logistics, telecommunications, transportation, finance, retail, and public sectors.
The Smishing Triad's infrastructure is vast, utilizing over 8,800 unique IP addresses and stretching across more than 200 Autonomous System Numbers (ASNs). Recent data from server logs analyzed by Silent Push reveal that the group's infrastructure has been highly active, with over one million page visits logged in just 20 days. This suggests that the actual number of SMS phishing messages sent may be significantly higher than the previously estimated 100,000 per day. A large portion of the group's phishing sites are hosted by major Chinese companies, Tencent and Alibaba, indicating a strong connection to Chinese cyberspace. The group's latest tactic involves the introduction of the "Lighthouse" phishing kit, unveiled on a Telegram channel by the developer identified as Wang Duo Yu. This kit targets numerous financial institutions, particularly in Australia and the broader Asia-Pacific region, as well as major Western financial institutions like PayPal, Mastercard, and HSBC. The Lighthouse kit boasts advanced features such as one-click setup, real-time synchronization, and mechanisms to bypass multiple layers of security like OTP, PIN, and 3DS verification, making it a formidable tool for stealing banking credentials. Smishing Triad boasts it has “300+ front desk staff worldwide” supporting the Lighthouse kit, and continues to sell its phishing kits to other threat actors via Telegram. Recommended read:
References :
Stu Sjouwerman@blog.knowbe4.com
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Cisco Talos has uncovered an extensive and ongoing SMS phishing campaign that began in October 2024, targeting toll road users across the United States. The "Smishing Triad," a China-based eCrime group, is suspected to be behind these attacks, impersonating E-ZPass and other U.S. toll agencies to steal financial information. Victims receive fraudulent text messages claiming they have an outstanding toll bill, typically under $5, and are urged to pay immediately to avoid late fees. These messages prompt users to click on a link that leads to a spoofed domain mimicking the legitimate toll service's website.
Once on the fake webpage, victims are asked to solve a CAPTCHA before being directed to a fraudulent bill displaying their name and the supposed amount owed. Upon clicking "Proceed Now," users are prompted to enter personal information, including their name, address, phone number, and credit card details, which are then stolen by the threat actors. Talos assesses with moderate confidence that multiple financially motivated threat actors are involved, utilizing a smishing kit developed by "Wang Duo Yu." The actors have targeted individuals in at least eight states, including Washington, Florida, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Texas, Ohio, Illinois, and Kansas, identified through spoofed domains containing the states' two-letter abbreviations. The Smishing Triad, known for systematically targeting organizations in at least 121 countries across various industries, has shown remarkable success in converting phished payment card data into mobile wallets from Apple and Google. Silent Push analysts have found that the group's infrastructure generated over one million page visits in just 20 days, suggesting a potentially higher volume of SMS messages sent than previously estimated. The group continues to sell its phishing kits via Telegram and other channels. Authorities, including the FBI's IC3, have been aware of similar scams since at least April 2024, highlighting the persistent and evolving nature of these phishing campaigns. Recommended read:
References :
Stu Sjouwerman@blog.knowbe4.com
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A China-based cybercriminal group known as the Smishing Triad is behind a surge in smishing campaigns targeting consumers in the US and UK. The group is exploiting toll payment services by sending fraudulent text messages that appear to originate from legitimate toll collection agencies such as FasTrak, E-ZPass, and I-Pass. These deceptive messages claim unpaid toll bills or payment requests, tricking users into divulging sensitive personal and financial information. Tolling agencies throughout the United States are battling this escalating cybersecurity threat, highlighting the need for heightened vigilance.
These campaigns utilize tactics that make it difficult for consumers to protect themselves, primarily by spoofing Sender IDs (SIDs) via SMS, iMessage, and other instant messaging (IM) platforms. The attackers impersonate legitimate organizations, creating a sense of urgency to prompt immediate action from the recipients. The lower spam protection of SMS compared to email makes these IM channels a fertile ground for exploitation, leading to a higher likelihood of victims falling for the scam. The attackers’ objectives include financial gain and the theft of personal and financial data for future exploitation. The scale of the campaign is significant, with the use of over 60,000 impersonation websites, complicating efforts by platforms like Apple and Android to block these fraudulent activities effectively. These fraudulent websites mimic official toll payment portals, tricking users into entering payment details or personal information, which is then harvested for financial fraud and identity theft. Federal and state agencies have issued warnings, advising individuals to verify toll-related claims through official websites and avoid clicking on links in unsolicited text messages. Consumers are also advised to report suspicious messages to authorities and enable security features on smartphones. Recommended read:
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info@thehackernews.com (The@The Hacker News
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The Lucid PhaaS platform, operated by the XinXin group, is being used in sophisticated smishing campaigns targeting 169 entities across 88 countries. This Phishing-as-a-Service (PhaaS) platform leverages legitimate communication channels like Apple iMessage and Android RCS to bypass traditional SMS spam filters, significantly increasing delivery and success rates. Cybercriminals are using Lucid to harvest credit card details and personally identifiable information (PII) for financial fraud.
The platform employs social engineering tactics, including impersonating postal services, courier companies, and tax refund agencies. It offers credit card validation tools and can clone any brand's website to create phishing versions. Telecom providers face challenges in preventing these attacks due to the end-to-end encryption of iMessage and RCS. Cybersecurity experts recommend that users independently verify communications with trusted organizations through official channels to avoid falling victim to these scams. Recommended read:
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