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The latest effort to reduce the number of ransom payments sent to cybercriminals in the UK involves the country's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) locking arms with insurance associations.…
Authored by Vignesh Dhatchanamoorthy, Rachana S
Instagram, with its vast user base and dynamic platform, has become a hotbed for scams and fraudulent activities. From phishing attempts to fake giveaways, scammers employ a range of tactics to exploit user trust and vulnerability. These scams often prey on people’s desire for social validation, financial gain, or exclusive opportunities, luring them into traps that can compromise their personal accounts and identity.
McAfee has observed a concerning scam emerging on Instagram, where scammers are exploiting the platform’s influencer program to deceive users. This manipulation of the influencer ecosystem underscores the adaptability and cunning of online fraudsters in their pursuit of ill-gotten gains.
The Instagram influencer program, designed to empower content creators and influencers by providing opportunities for collaboration and brand partnerships, has inadvertently become a target for exploitation. Scammers are leveraging the allure of influencer status to lure unsuspecting individuals into fraudulent schemes, promising fame, fortune, and exclusive opportunities in exchange for participation.
The first step involves a cybercrook creating a dummy account and using it to hack into a target’s Instagram account. Using those hacked accounts hackers then share posts about Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Finally, the hacked accounts are used to scam target friends with a request that they vote for them to win an influencer contest.
After this series of steps is complete, the scammer will first identify the target and then send them a link with a Gmail email address to vote in their favor.
Fig 1: Scammer Message
While the link in the voting request message likely leads to a legitimate Instagram page, victims are often directed to an Instagram email update page upon clicking — not the promised voting page. Also, since the account sending the voting request is likely familiar to the scam target, they are more likely to enter the scammer’s email ID without examining it closely.
During our research, we saw scammers like Instagram’s accounts center link to their targets like below hxxp[.]//accountscenter.instagram.com/personal_info/contact_points/contact_point_type=email&dialog_type=add_contact_point
Fig 2. Email Updating Page
We took this opportunity to gain more insight into the details of how these deceptive tactics are carried out, creating an email account (scammerxxxx.com and victimxxxx.com) and a dummy Instagram account using that email (victimxxxx.com) for testing purposes.
Fig 3. Victim’s Personal Details
We visited the URL provided in the chat and entered our testing email ID scammerxxxx.com instead of entering the email address provided by the scammer, which was “vvote8399@gmail.com”
Fig 4. Adding Scammer’s Email Address in Victim Account
After adding the scammerxxxx.com address in the email address field, we received a notification stating, “Adding this email will replace vitimxxxx.com on this Instagram account”.
This is the point at which a scam target will fall victim to this type of scam if they are not aware that they are giving someone else, with access to the scammerxxxx.com email address, control of their Instagram account.
After selecting Next, we were redirected to the confirmation code page. Here, scammers will send the confirmation code received in their email account and provide that code to victims, via an additional Instagram message, to complete the email updating process.
In our testing case, the verification code was sent to the email address scammerxxxx.com.
Fig 5. Confirmation Code Page
We received the verification code in our scammerxxxx.com account and submitted it on the confirmation code page.
Fig 6. Confirmation Code Mail
Once the ‘Add an Email Address’ procedure is completed, the scammer’s email address is linked to the victim’s Instagram account. As a result, the actual user will be unable to log in to their account due to the updated email address.
Fig 7. Victim’s Profile after updating Scammer’s email
Because the scammer’s email address (scammerxxxx.com) was updated the account owner — the scam victim will not be able to access their account and will instead receive the message “Sorry, your password was incorrect. Please double-check your password.”
Fig 8. Victim trying to login to their account.
The scammer will now change the victim’s account password by using the “forgot password” function with the new, scammer email login ID.
Fig 9. Forgot Password Page
The password reset code will be sent to the scammer’s email address (scammerxxxx.com).
Fig 10. Reset the Password token received in the Scammer’s email
After getting the email, the scammer will “Reset your password” for the victim’s account.
Fig 11. Scammer Resetting the Password
After resetting the password, the scammer can take over the victim’s Instagram account.
Fig 12. The scammer took over the victim’s Instagram account.
The post How Scammers Hijack Your Instagram appeared first on McAfee Blog.
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A Post-Compromise granular, fully reflective, simple and convenient .NET library to embed persistency to persistency by abusing Security Descriptors of remote machines. The techniques incorporated are not novel but I've yet to come across any documented approach of modifying SCM/Service's SDDL by directly modifying registry keys. Modification of SD for WMI and Remote registry was also added in as an after thought but this means there's a lot more to explore and add for the curious minds.
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A Post-Compromise granular, fully reflective, simple and convenient .NET library to embed persistency to persistency by abusing Security Descriptors of remote machines. The techniques incorporated are not novel but I've yet to come across any documented approach of modifying SCM/Service's SDDL by directly modifying registry keys. Modification of SD for WMI and Remote registry was also added in as an after thought but this means there's a lot more to explore and add for the curious minds.
From impersonating police officers in Pennsylvania to employees of the City of San Antonio, scammers have been impersonating officials nationwide in order to scam people. A nurse in New York even lost her life savings to a spoofing scam. Phone spoofing is a technique used by callers to disguise their true identity and phone number when making calls. By altering the caller ID information displayed on the recipient’s phone, spoofers can make it appear as though the call is coming from a different number, often one that looks more trustworthy or familiar to the recipient. This deceptive practice is commonly employed by telemarketers, scammers, and individuals seeking to engage in fraudulent activities, making it more difficult for recipients to identify and block unwanted or suspicious calls.
Most spoofing is done using a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) service or IP phone that uses VoIP to transmit calls over the internet. VoIP users can usually choose their preferred number or name to be displayed on the caller ID when they set up their account. Some providers even offer spoofing services that work like a prepaid calling card. Customers pay for a PIN code to use when calling their provider, allowing them to select both the destination‘s number they want to call, as well as the number they want to appear on the recipient’s caller ID.
Scammers often use spoofing to try to trick people into handing over money, personal information, or both. They may pretend to be calling from a bank, a charity, or even a contest, offering a phony prize. These “vishing” attacks (or “voice phishing”), are quite common, and often target older people who are not as aware of this threat.
For instance, one common scam appears to come from the IRS. The caller tries to scare the receiver into thinking that they owe money for back taxes, or need to send over sensitive financial information right away. Another common scam is fake tech support, where the caller claims to be from a recognizable company, like Microsoft, claiming there is a problem with your computer and they need remote access to fix it.
There are also “SMiShing” attacks, or phishing via text message, in which you may receive a message that appears to come from a reputable person or company, encouraging you to click on a link. But once you do, it can download malware onto your device, sign you up for a premium service, or even steal your credentials for your online accounts.
The convenience of sending digital voice signals over the internet has led to an explosion of spam and robocalls over the past few years. Between January 2019 and September 2023, Americans lodged 2.04 million complaints about unwanted phone calls where people or robots falsely posed as government representatives, legitimate business entities, or people affiliated with them.
Since robocalls use a computerized autodialer to deliver pre-recorded messages, marketers and scammers can place many more calls than a live person ever could, often employing tricks such as making the call appear to come from the recipient’s own area code. This increases the chance that the recipient will answer the call, thinking it is from a local friend or business.
And because many of these calls are from scammers or shady marketing groups, just registering your number on the FTC’s official “National Do Not Call Registry” does little help. That’s because only real companies that follow the law respect the registry.
To really cut back on these calls, the first thing you should do is check to see if your phone carrier has a service or app that helps identify and filter out spam calls.
For instance, both AT&T and Verizon have apps that provide spam screening or fraud warnings, although they may cost you extra each month. T-Mobile warns customers if a call is likely a scam when it appears on your phone screen, and you can sign up for a scam-blocking service for free.
There are also third-party apps such as RoboKiller that you can download to help you screen calls, but you should be aware that you will be sharing private data with them.
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The post How to Stop Phone Spoofing appeared first on McAfee Blog.
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