Tuesday, March 2, 2021
  • Setup menu at Appearance » Menus and assign menu to Top Bar Navigation
Advertisement
  • AI Development
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Machine Learning
    • Neural Networks
    • Learn to Code
  • Data
    • Blockchain
    • Big Data
    • Data Science
  • IT Security
    • Internet Privacy
    • Internet Security
  • Marketing
    • Digital Marketing
    • Marketing Technology
  • Technology Companies
  • Crypto News
No Result
View All Result
NikolaNews
  • AI Development
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Machine Learning
    • Neural Networks
    • Learn to Code
  • Data
    • Blockchain
    • Big Data
    • Data Science
  • IT Security
    • Internet Privacy
    • Internet Security
  • Marketing
    • Digital Marketing
    • Marketing Technology
  • Technology Companies
  • Crypto News
No Result
View All Result
NikolaNews
No Result
View All Result
Home Internet Privacy

Researchers Uncover a Nigerian Hacker’s Pursuit of his Million Dollar Dream

March 17, 2020
in Internet Privacy
Researchers Uncover a Nigerian Hacker’s Pursuit of his Million Dollar Dream
585
SHARES
3.3k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Social engineering-driven malware threats continue to be a big threat, but new research details how cybercriminals profit off such schemes to launder hundreds of thousands of dollars from stolen credit cards of unsuspecting victims.

Cybersecurity firm Check Point Research, in a report shared with The Hacker news, uncovered the digital trail of a Nigerian cybercriminal, who went by the name of “Dton” and targeted hundreds of thousands of people under the moniker of “Bill Henry” by sending them malicious emails with custom-built malware.

You might also like

Chinese Hackers Targeted India’s Power Grid Amid Geopolitical Tensions

Why do companies fail to stop breaches despite soaring IT security investment?

Gootkit RAT Using SEO to Distribute Malware Through Compromised Sites

The company said it disclosed the findings to concerned Nigerian and international law enforcement authorities for further action.

A multi-stage criminal scheme

The operation began with Dton buying stolen credit card details from Ferrum Shop, an online marketplace that sells over 2.5 million stolen credit card credentials, and then charging them each $550 each to fraudulently net more than $100,000 in illicit transactions.

credit card shop

“During the years 2013-2020, the account he regularly logs into has been used to purchase over $13,000 worth in stolen credit card credentials,” Check Point noted.

Subsequently, the researchers found that Dton’s monetizing cyber crimes were no longer dependent upon buying stolen credit cards. Instead, he started collecting this data himself, for which he purchased bulk email lists of new victims and malicious tools, including keyloggers (AspireLogger) and remote administration tools (RATs) such Nanocore and AZORult, a family of spyware that steals information and is used to download additional malware.

credit card hacking

malware virus machine

email-hacker

In the next step, Dton orchestrates a RAT-spamming operation, wherein the custom-built malware is disguised as innocuous email attachments, and sent out to each of the email addresses, thereby harvesting user credential details without the recipients’ knowledge.

“Active for over seven years, Dton orchestrates his operation from Benin City, a city in southern Nigeria with a population over 1.5 million,” the researchers told The Hacker News.

“But most of his attention went into buying malicious tools of the trade: Packers and crypters, infostealers and keyloggers, exploits and remote VMs.”

“Dton now disguises his custom-built malware into everyday email attachments, blasts them out to each of the email addresses on his lists, and harvests user credential details without the email owners ever knowing.”

The RATs contain hard-coded credentials for a single Yandex mail to which all the aggregated stolen victim data is sent to.

interpol cybercrime

But Check Point researchers found a twist in the criminal’s modus operandi: “When business with someone goes well, Dton infects them with a RAT just in case it later turns out to be useful; when business with someone goes less than well, Dton resolves the dispute by reporting them to the Interpol.”

Protect Yourself from Phishing Attacks

It’s no surprise that bad actors are continually finding new ways to trick consumers into providing remote access to their computers to steal information. By combining sophisticated social engineering techniques with information already available about the target from other sources, the attacks have proven to be an easy vector to bypass security barriers.

The ever-evolving sophistication of social engineering scams underscores the need for preparedness and practicing good security hygiene. It’s essential that accounts are secured with two-factor authentication and be vigilant when it comes to opening emails and attachments from unknown senders.


Credit: The Hacker News By: noreply@blogger.com (Ravie Lakshmanan)

Previous Post

How To Get A Machine Learning Job That You Can Do Remotely

Next Post

Intel CPUs vulnerable to new 'Snoop' attack

Related Posts

Chinese Hackers Targeted India’s Power Grid Amid Geopolitical Tensions
Internet Privacy

Chinese Hackers Targeted India’s Power Grid Amid Geopolitical Tensions

March 2, 2021
Why do companies fail to stop breaches despite soaring IT security investment?
Internet Privacy

Why do companies fail to stop breaches despite soaring IT security investment?

March 2, 2021
Gootkit RAT Using SEO to Distribute Malware Through Compromised Sites
Internet Privacy

Gootkit RAT Using SEO to Distribute Malware Through Compromised Sites

March 2, 2021
SolarWinds Blames Intern for Weak Password That Led to Biggest Attack in 2020
Internet Privacy

SolarWinds Blames Intern for Weak Password That Led to Biggest Attack in 2020

March 1, 2021
Cisco Releases Security Patches for Critical Flaws Affecting its Products
Internet Privacy

Cisco Releases Security Patches for Critical Flaws Affecting its Products

February 27, 2021
Next Post
Intel CPUs vulnerable to new ‘Snoop’ attack

Intel CPUs vulnerable to new 'Snoop' attack

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recommended

Plasticity in Deep Learning: Dynamic Adaptations for AI Self-Driving Cars

Plasticity in Deep Learning: Dynamic Adaptations for AI Self-Driving Cars

January 6, 2019
Microsoft, Google Use Artificial Intelligence to Fight Hackers

Microsoft, Google Use Artificial Intelligence to Fight Hackers

January 6, 2019

Categories

  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data
  • Blockchain
  • Crypto News
  • Data Science
  • Digital Marketing
  • Internet Privacy
  • Internet Security
  • Learn to Code
  • Machine Learning
  • Marketing Technology
  • Neural Networks
  • Technology Companies

Don't miss it

Scientists have built this ultrafast laser-powered random number generator
Internet Security

Scientists have built this ultrafast laser-powered random number generator

March 2, 2021
Companies in the Global Data Science Platforms Resorting to Product Innovation to Stay Ahead in the Game
Data Science

Companies in the Global Data Science Platforms Resorting to Product Innovation to Stay Ahead in the Game

March 2, 2021
Aries becomes next Hyperledger project graduating to active status
Blockchain

Aries becomes next Hyperledger project graduating to active status

March 2, 2021
Government trialling machine learning tech to detect pests at shipping ports
Machine Learning

Government trialling machine learning tech to detect pests at shipping ports

March 2, 2021
Data Annotation Service: a Potential and Problematic Industry Behind AI | by ByteBridge
Neural Networks

Data Annotation Service: a Potential and Problematic Industry Behind AI | by ByteBridge

March 2, 2021
SolarWinds security fiasco may have started with simple password blunders
Internet Security

SolarWinds security fiasco may have started with simple password blunders

March 2, 2021
NikolaNews

NikolaNews.com is an online News Portal which aims to share news about blockchain, AI, Big Data, and Data Privacy and more!

What’s New Here?

  • Scientists have built this ultrafast laser-powered random number generator March 2, 2021
  • Companies in the Global Data Science Platforms Resorting to Product Innovation to Stay Ahead in the Game March 2, 2021
  • Aries becomes next Hyperledger project graduating to active status March 2, 2021
  • Government trialling machine learning tech to detect pests at shipping ports March 2, 2021

Subscribe to get more!

© 2019 NikolaNews.com - Global Tech Updates

No Result
View All Result
  • AI Development
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Machine Learning
    • Neural Networks
    • Learn to Code
  • Data
    • Blockchain
    • Big Data
    • Data Science
  • IT Security
    • Internet Privacy
    • Internet Security
  • Marketing
    • Digital Marketing
    • Marketing Technology
  • Technology Companies
  • Crypto News

© 2019 NikolaNews.com - Global Tech Updates