Of Money Mules and Cyber Criminals
A new article by Roel Schouwenberg, Senior Antivirus Researcher at the Kaspersky Lab, has drawn attention to the increased use of malware in cyber attacks on financial institutions.
The Russian researcher explains the methods used – from social engineering to phishing and Trojan Downloaders – which show that the trend seems to be away from universal attacks and towards malware aimed at specific banks in specific regions, the ideal target being a bank with a large customer base and lax security. "Many banks which use single-factor authentication are vulnerable to relatively simple attacks," writes Schouwenberg.
Although the number of malicious emails is declining, the preferred method of attack is via the Internet for a number of reasons. Whereas malware sent by email is easily detected, a malicious program sent via the web will infect the web server, which means it can be modified easily by the cyber criminals, making it almost impossible for antivirus researchers to analyze, "...so a drive-by download using exploits is obviously an attractive method" the researcher warns. Phishing attacks are still popular, with too many users not fully understanding how the scam works.
Accessing stolen funds is another aspect of cyber crimes examined by the researcher. This is where the money mule, often recruited via seemingly legitimate job offers, comes into play. The mule makes their bank account available for transactions and then, with services like Moneygram or E-Gold, transfers 85-90 percent of the money. Criminals will often use several mules simultaneously, keeping transactions small and thereby avoiding attention. The complete article can be read at: http://www.viruslist.com/en/analysis?pubid=204792037/
Issue 262/2022
Buy this issue as a PDF
News
-
Kali Linux 2022.3 Released
From the creators of the most popular penetration testing distributions on the planet, comes a new release with some new tools and a community, real-time chat option.
-
The 14" Pinebook Pro Linux Laptop is Shipping
After a considerable delay, the 14" version of the Pinebook Pro laptop is, once again, available for purchase.
-
OpenMandriva Lx ROME Technical Preview Released
OpenMandriva’s rolling release distribution technical preview has been released for testing purposes and adds some of the latest/greatest software into the mix.
-
Linux Mint 21 is Now Available
The latest iteration of Linux Mint, codenamed Vanessa, has been released with a new upgrade tool and other fantastic features.
-
Firefox Adds Long-Anticipated Feature
Firefox 103 has arrived and it now includes a feature users have long awaited…sort of.
-
System76 Refreshes Their Popular Oryx Pro Laptop with a New CPU
The System76 Oryx Pro laptop has been relaunched with a 12th Gen CPU and more powerful graphics options.
-
Elive Has Released a New Beta
The Elive team is proud to announce the latest beta version (3.8.30) of its Enlightenment-centric Linux distribution.
-
Rocky Linux 9 Has Arrived
The latest iteration of Rocky Linux is now available and includes a host of new features and support for new architecture.
-
Slimbook Executive Linux Ultrabook Upgrading Their CPUs
The Spanish-based company, Slimbook, has made available their next generation Slimbook Executive Linux ultrabooks with a 12th Gen Intel Alder Lake CPU.
-
Fedora Linux is Coming to the Raspberry Pi 4
Thanks to significant work in the upstream, the upcoming release of Fedora 37 will introduce support for the Raspberry Pi 4.