Page 9 - Threat Intelligence 10-3-2019

Social Engineering

MasterMana Botnet targets business users with sophisticated phishing attacks. Cybercriminals are often able
to pull off clever and complex scams without necessarily having to spend a lot of money. That's because many
of the tools they use are available on the Dark Web at bargain-basement prices. Aimed at business users, one
new cyber-crime campaign called MasterMana Botnet has struck a chord for the way its perpetrators have
used sophisticated methods at little cost, according to a report released Wednesday by Prevailion.

Source: https://www.techrepublic.com/article/mastermana-botnet-targets-business-users-with-
sophisticated-phishing-attacks/

These sneaky email scammers are making it even harder for workers to spot fake invoices. Email scammers
are getting more sophisticated, with one gang showing particularly advanced tactics for stealing from
organisations across the world by using stealth, persistence and social engineering to trick firms into paying
invoices for legitimate services. The attacks are different to standard Business Email Compromise (BEC) attacks
because rather than using a fake request for a money transfer apparently ordered by a CEO or CFO, this
campaign is based around supply chains, espionage and research, with the attackers only cashing in once
they're convinced they can successfully dupe the victim by injecting themselves into a legitimate email thread
about finance.

Source: https://www.zdnet.com/article/these-sneaky-email-scammers-are-making-it-even-harder-for-
workers-to-spot-fake-invoices/

Deepfakes and synthetic identity: More reasons to worry about identity theft. An insurance company
recently reported a successful scam against one of its clients that was a new and improved version of CEO
fraud. A British CEO was tricked into transferring $240,000 to a fraudster. The trick used the technique known
as a deepfake to make the CEO believe he was dealing with a legitimate person. Some doubt the insurance
company’s account, but deepfake technology is perfect for scams because it leverages the trust we have in our
relationships. Trust is a crucial aspect of any transaction both off- and online, which arguably makes deepfakes
the most dangerous addition to the cybercriminal's toolkit when it comes to identity theft.
Source: https://www.csoonline.com/article/3442397/deepfakes-and-synthetic-identity-more-reasons-
to-worry-about-identity-theft.html

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