Nov 02 2023
Welcome to Gone Phishing, your daily cybersecurity newsletter that provides you with the common sense antidote to the cybercrimanal’s climate alarmist Storm Ciarán ????
Today’s hottest cybersecurity news stories:
???? Watch out Adidas! Prolific Puma’s underground service exposed! ????????
???? Uh-oh! Public exposure of data breaches is on the horizon y’all ????
✈️ Flying without a licence: cyberattack fans the flames at Gatwick ????
Meet Prolific Puma, the shadowy cyber threat actor operating undercover for over four years! ???? Puma offers an underground link shortening service to fellow malicious actors. These shady links help them spread phishing, scams, and malware while flying under the radar. ????
Puma's crafty strategy involves generating registered domain names with a sneaky algorithm, creating 35,000 to 75,000 unique domains since April 2022. ???? The catch? Puma operates on the down-low, using an affordable American domain registrar and web hosting company, NameSilo. ????
One unique twist: Puma loves to park its domains for weeks before unleashing their devious services. These domains are alphanumeric, random, and vary in length. ????
And the mystery deepens! Puma has been dropping hints with an email address referencing the song "OCT 33" by Black Pumas, a psychedelic soul band. ????
But who is Prolific Puma? ????️♂️ That's still a puzzle. Nevertheless, Puma's link shortening service is a favourite tool for multiple cyber baddies, taking victims to phishing sites, CAPTCHA challenges, and even more tricky links. ????
???? Kopeechka Hacking Tool: The Scammer's Helper ????
While Puma lurks, lesser-skilled cybercriminals have their own secret weapon – Kopeechka! This tool automates the creation of fake social media accounts in seconds. ????
Kopeechka offers various email options, from domains owned by the actors to well-known providers. But don't be fooled; it doesn't grant access to real mailboxes. ????
It also lets cyber villains bypass phone number verification by using 16 different online SMS services, mostly from Russia. ????
As cybercrime becomes more professional, tools like Kopeechka are helping scammers operate at scale. This tool's services make it easy for cybercriminals to create accounts and maintain anonymity. ????️♀️
Stay safe out there, and watch out for these sneaky cybercats! ????
Cybersecurity is more important than ever, and your Mac or PC are no exception. Over time, your Mac or PC can accumulate junk files, malware, and other threats that can slow it down and make it vulnerable to attack.
That's where MacPaw comes in. MacPaw offers a suite of easy-to-use apps that can help you clean, optimize, and secure your Mac. With MacPaw, you can:
Remove junk files and malware to free up space and improve performance
Protect your privacy by erasing sensitive data
Optimize your startup settings to speed up boot times
Manage your extensions and apps to keep your Mac or PC running smoothly
Since 2008 MacPaw is trusted by over 30 million users worldwide, and it's the perfect solution for keeping your Mac or PC safe and secure.
Ransomware incidents are surging as cybercriminals employ data theft and supply chain attacks to maximise their leverage, warns Allianz. The number of cases involving data theft is skyrocketing, and more incidents are becoming public, making them 1,000 times costlier to resolve if not detected early. ????
????️ Prioritise Cybersecurity ????
To safeguard your company, focus on bolstering your detection and response capabilities. The threat landscape is evolving, and hackers are targeting both IT and physical supply chains, launching mass cyberattacks and extorting companies for personal and sensitive data. ????
???? Data Theft on the Rise ????
Allianz reports a significant increase in data theft incidents every year, with nearly 80% in 2022. Cyber claims frequency has risen in 2023, indicating the attackers are back with more powerful tools. Detecting and responding swiftly is crucial. ????
???? Stable Cyber Claims in 2022 ????
While cyber claims remained stable in 2022, ransomware activity surged by 50% in the first half of 2023. Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) tools, starting at $40, are fueling these attacks. Ransomware gangs are working faster, with attack execution times dropping dramatically. ????♂️
???? Protecting Your Business ????
Data exfiltration can add significant costs to a cyber claim. Large mass ransomware attacks are affecting multiple companies, emphasising the need for understanding supply chain interdependencies. Companies are under increasing pressure to pay ransoms when data is stolen. ????
???? AI-Powered Attacks ????
Threat actors are exploring AI to automate and accelerate attacks, creating more potent malware and phishing attempts. Early detection and response capabilities are becoming crucial as cyber threats evolve. ????
???? Invest in Detection and Response ????
Focus your cybersecurity investment on detection and response, as preventing all attacks is challenging. Early detection can save you from catastrophic losses. ????
???? Stay Prepared ????
To mitigate the impact of cyberattacks and ensure a sustainable cyber insurance market, prioritise early detection and response. ????️
Stay vigilant and protect your business against cyber threats! ????
???? The Motley Fool: “Fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again.” Good ol’ George Dubya ???? Let us tell who’s not fooling around though; that’s the Crüe ???? at Motley Fool. You’d be a fool (alright, enough already! ????) not to check out their Share Tips from time to time so your savings can one day emerge from their cocoon as a beautiful butterfly! ???? Kidding aside, if you check out their website they’ve actually got a ton of great content with a wide variety of different investment ideas to suit most budgets ???? (LINK)
???? Wander: Find your happy place. Cue Happy Gilmore flashback ????️⛳????????️ Mmmm Happy Place… ???? So, we’ve noticed a lot of you guys are interested in travel. As are we! We stumbled upon this cool company that offers a range of breath-taking spots around the United States and, honestly, the website alone is worth a gander. When all you see about the Land of the free and the home of the brave is news of rioting, looting and school shootings, it’s easy to forget how beautiful some parts of it are. The awe-inspiring locations along with the innovative architecture of the hotels sets Wander apart from your run of the mill American getaway ????️???? (LINK)
???? Digital Ocean: If you build it they will come. Nope, we’re not talking about a baseball field for ghosts ⚾???????? (Great movie, to be fair ????). This is the Digital Ocean who’ve got a really cool platform for building and hosting pretty much anything you can think of. If you check out their website you’ll find yourself catching the buzz even if you can’t code (guilty ????). But if you can and you’re looking for somewhere to test things out or launch something new or simply enhance what you’ve got, we’d recommend checking out their services fo’ sho ???? And how can you not love their slogan: Dream it. Build it. Grow it. Right on, brother! ???? (LINK)
In a series of cyberattacks targeting UK-based airports, the notorious UserSec hacking group has claimed responsibility for a cyberattack on Gatwick Airport. This follows a similar attack on Manchester Airport earlier in this wave of threats.
???? What Happened? ????
The attack occurred after cybersecurity researchers detected UserSec's plans to target UK airports on October 29th. Although details are scarce, it's likely that this attack was a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack, similar to what happened to Manchester Airport.
???? Website Accessibility Restored ????
Despite the attack, Gatwick Airport's website is now accessible. Luckily, flight operations were not disrupted at Manchester Airport during their DDoS attack, and the site was restored before the predicted downtime.
???? Investigation Underway ????
The UK's National Cyber Security Centre is investigating the Manchester Airport cyberattack. Meanwhile, Gatwick Airport officials have raised concerns about fake Twitter accounts using the airport's name.
????️ UserSec's Previous Strikes ????️
UserSec has a history of targeting UK airports. They claimed a cyberattack on Birmingham Airport in August 2023, which was also a DDoS attack. Birmingham Airport is currently investigating the incident.
???? Cyber Threat Landscape ????
These cyberattacks emphasise the growing need for robust cybersecurity measures in critical infrastructure, especially in the aviation sector. It's a stark reminder of the evolving threats faced by airports and their ongoing efforts to safeguard their operations.
Stay vigilant, ensure you're connected with the official Gatwick Airport accounts, and be cyber-aware in today's digital world. ✅????????️
Every few weeks, we carefully select three hot newsletters to show you. Reputation is everything, so any links we share come from personal recommendation or carefully researched businesses at the time of posting. Enjoy!
The GeekAI: A daily 3 min newsletter on what matters in AI, with all the new AI things coming to market its good to stay ahead of the curve.
Libby Copa: The Rebel Newsletter helps writers strengthen their writing and creative practice, navigate the publishing world, and turn their art into an act of rebellion.
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So long and thanks for reading all the phish!
