In a disturbing case of cybercrime, scammers used a fake profile picture of a policeman on WhatsApp to deceive a businessman. The criminals accused the businessman of being involved in human trafficking, leveraging his fear and trust in authority to manipulate him. They sent him a fabricated arrest warrant and a seizure order via an online link, further escalating the pressure on the victim. In a brazen move, one of the scammers even impersonated a Supreme Court judge during a phone call with the businessman.
Through these deceptive tactics, the fraudsters convinced the businessman that he needed to undergo a "fund legalization process" and deposit his money into an account purportedly held by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The scam, which unfolded over a gruelling period of seven to eight hours, resulted in a significant financial loss of Rs 1.3 crore for the victim.
Despite the severity of such incidents, victims often find themselves without adequate support. While the government has publicized a cybercrime helpline number, 1930, it merely directs complainants to file their cases on the website www.cybercrime.gov.in. Even after a complaint is lodged, the responsibility to follow up and ensure action is taken largely falls on the victim.
This case highlights the broader issue of law enforcement agencies not playing a proactive role in assisting citizens who fall prey to online fraudsters. The lack of timely intervention and investigation into cybercrimes exacerbates the distress faced by victims. As cybercrime rates continue to rise, there is a pressing need for law enforcement to enhance their responsiveness and take on a more active role in protecting citizens from such sophisticated digital threats.
Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) have developed into an essential tool for protecting online security and privacy in today's digitally connected society. Despite the wide range of options, a sizable portion of consumers favour free VPN services. However, it's important to be aware of any risks connected to these ostensibly cost-effective alternatives before jumping on the bandwagon.
Free VPN services frequently have restrictions that limit how much security and privacy they can offer. They might impose a data cap, slow connection rates, or impose server access restrictions. 'You get what you pay for,' is true in the world of VPNs.
Free VPNs' data logging rules are among their most alarming features. Numerous of these services gather and keep track of user data, including browsing patterns, IP addresses, and even private data. Data breaches or targeted advertising may result from the sale of this information to outside parties. This lack of transparency poses a serious threat to user privacy.
With VPNs, quality is a function of price. Although they may be alluring, free VPN services carry a number of dangers that could jeopardize your online privacy and security. Prioritizing trustworthy, paid VPN services with strong security, open policies, and dependable customer support is crucial. Keeping your online identity secure is ultimately a worthwhile investment.
Mandiant, which has been tracking APT43 since 2018, noted that the threat group supports the mission of the Reconnaissance General Bureau, North Korea's primary external intelligence agency.
In terms of attribution indicators, APT43 shares infrastructure and tools with known North Korean operators and threat actors. Essentially, APT43 shares malware and tools with Lazarus.
Prior to 2021, the APT43 organization mostly targeted foreign policy and nuclear security challenges, but this changed in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
APT43 primarily targets manufacturing products including fuel, machinery, metals, transportation vehicles, and weaponry whose sale to North Korea has been banned in South Korea, the U.S., Japan, and Europe. In addition to this, the group attacks business services, education, research and think tanks focusing on geopolitical and nuclear policy and government bodies.
Spear phishing is one of the primary methods used by APT43 to compromise its targets. The group frequently fabricates plausible personas, impersonating important figures. Ones they have succeeded in compromising one such individual, the threat group proceeds into using the person’s contact lists to aim further targets with spear phishing.
In one such instance, exposed by Google, Archipelago (a subset of APT43) would send phishing emails where they portray themselves as a representative of a media outlet or think task asking the targeted victim for an interview. To view the questions, a link must be clicked, but doing so takes the victim to a phony Microsoft 365 or Google Drive login page. The victim is directed to a paper with questions after entering their credentials.
According to the Google report, Archipelago tends to interact with the victim for several days in order to build trust before sending the malicious link or file.
Another tactic used by Archipelago involves sending benign PDF files purportedly from a third party that alerts the recipient to fraudulent logins they should examine.
APT43 employs a variety of malware families and tools. Some of the public malware families used include Gh0st RAT, Quasar RAT, and Amadey. However, the threat group mostly uses a non-public malware called LATEOP or BabyShark, apparently developed by the group itself.
Here, we have listed some measures that could ensure protection against malicious APT43 attacks:
Moreover, professionals in the field of geopolitics and international politics are advised to be trained in detecting any approach from attackers or potential threat actors, posing as a journalist or a reporter. Careful identification and examination of such individuals approaching important figures must be taken into priority, prior to any exchange of information or intelligence.