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SSA
Cybersecurity Datatheft Fraud IdentityTheft malware phishing remotetool Scam screenconnect SSA

Cybercriminals Target Social Security Users with Sophisticated Phishing Scam

 

A new wave of phishing attacks is exploiting public trust in government agencies. Cybercriminals are sending fraudulent emails that appear to come from the Social Security Administration (SSA), aiming to trick recipients into downloading a remote access tool that gives hackers full control over their computers, according to a report by Malwarebytes.

The scam emails, often sent from compromised WordPress websites, claim to offer a downloadable Social Security statement. However, the entire message is typically embedded as an image—a tactic that allows it to bypass most email filters. Clicking on the link initiates the installation of ScreenConnect, a powerful malware tool that enables attackers to infiltrate your device remotely.

The campaign has been attributed to a phishing group known as Molatori, whose goal is to extract personal, banking, and other sensitive information. “Once in, the attackers can steal your data, commit financial fraud, and engage in identity theft,” the report warns.

To avoid falling victim, experts suggest staying alert to red flags. These scam emails often contain poor grammar, missing punctuation, strange formatting, and unusual colour schemes for links. Such errors—evident in screenshots shared by Malwarebytes and the SSA—are clear signs of a scam, even as AI-driven tactics make phishing attempts more convincing than ever.

“If you want to view your Social Security statement, the safest option is to visit ssa.gov,” the SSA advises.

What to Do If  You're Targeted:

  • Cut off all communication with the scammer
  • Report the incident to the SSA Office of the Inspector General (OIG)
  • File a report with your local police
  • If you've lost money, submit a complaint to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)

As phishing threats continue to evolve, cybersecurity awareness remains your best defense.


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User Security
Cyber Attacks Datatheft Extortion Group Ransomware US Agencies User Security

Hive Ransomware Operators Extort $100m from Over 1,300 Firms Worldwide

 

The operators behind the Hive ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) model have launched assaults against over 1,300 firms across the globe and received approximately $100 million in ransom payments as of November 2022, US government agencies stated in an alert. 

Active since June 2021, the malicious ransomware model has been employed in assaults against enterprises and critical infrastructure entities, including healthcare, government, communications, IT, and manufacturing organizations. 

"Hive ransomware has targeted a wide range of businesses and critical infrastructure sectors, including government facilities, communications, critical manufacturing, information technology, and — especially — Healthcare and Public Health (HPH)," read the joint advisory by the FBI, the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and the Department of Health and Human Services.

Modus Operandi 

Hive's RaaS campaign involves a mix of operators, who design and manage the malware, and affiliates, who are responsible for launching the assaults on victim networks by often purchasing initial access from initial access brokers (IABs). 

In most scenarios, securing a foothold involves the exploitation of ProxyShell vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange Server, followed by the detection and termination of processes linked to antimalware, backups, file copying, and deleting Windows event logs. 

Subsequently, the ransomware designs a file with the .key extension in the root directory – this file, which is unique to the system it was created on, is required for decryption. A ransom note is dropped into each exploited directory, warning targets not to tamper with the .key file, as that would restrict them from data recovery, and also asks victims to contact the hackers via live chat on a website accessible via the Tor browser. 

The ransomware actor also threatens victims that, if a ransom is not paid, data would be leaked publicly on the Tor site ‘HiveLeaks’. Threat analysts also detected crooks employing anonymous file-sharing sites to publish siphoned data. 

"Hive actors have been known to reinfect — with either Hive ransomware or another ransomware variant — the networks of victim organizations who have restored their network without making a ransom payment," the advisory further reads. 

According to the recent report published by cybersecurity firm Malwarebytes, the ransomware targeted seven victims in August 2022, 14 in September, and two other organizations in October, marking a fall in the operations from July, when the gang targeted 26 victims.
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USA
cyber attack Cyber Threats Cybersecurity Datatheft USA

Cyber-Attack on New York Ethics Watchdog



Databases maintained by New York’s public watchdog agency have to shut down their systems after state information technology researchers discovered a malicious cyber-attack on its web servers. 

The ethics watchdog, which regulates lobbying at the State Capitol reported last Friday evening that an investigation has been launched to determine the scope of the attack and the perpetrators behind the attack after it received an alert regarding suspicious activity on JCOPE’s network.

Following the attack, the Commission has shut down the systems as a precaution, including its lobbying application and financial disclosure statement online filing system.

JCOPE reported that the systems will remain shut down until the agency resume normal operations safely. As of the present, the Agency officials did not report anything regarding who was responsible for the attack. However, the agency said that they are planning to work with state law enforcement officials to investigate the attack.

“Our first and highest priority is the safety and integrity of the data entrusted to the Commission by the regulated community,” said JCOPE Executive Director Sanford Berland in a statement.

Following the attack, the public was not able to access the data about lobbyist expenditures. Lobbyists were kept from submitting their required records. JCOPE said that it will grant automatic extensions to the people who missed a deadline because of the outage. 

Walter McClure, a JCOPE spokesperson added that "the outage also affects searches using the agency’s legacy lobbyist filing system, which was in use until 2019".
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Security threats
Axis Breach Cyber Attacks Datatheft Security threats

Swedish Camera Giant Axis Still Recovering From Cyberattack

 

Recently Camera maker Axis has reported to the public that the company is still struggling with a cyberattack that severely disrupted its IT systems on February 20th. 

The Swedish camera giant has released a statement on its official website and said that the organization was notified from its cybersecurity and intrusion detection system on Sunday before it shut down all its public-facing facilities globally in the wake of the cyberattack. 

Following the incident, the organization has reported that in their ongoing investigation they did not witness any information regarding an attack on their customer and partner data. 

"Our ongoing investigation of the attack has come a long way but is not entirely finalized. So far, we have no indication that any customer and partner data whatsoever has been affected. As far as the investigation currently shows, we were able to stop the attack before it was completed, limiting the potential damage," Axis said on Thursday. 

Furthermore, the company added that the external services of the company have been successfully recovered from the attack, and they are working towards restoring the remaining services.

“Most prioritized external services have now been restored. Restoring the remaining services is our highest priority, together with doing it in a way that does not jeopardize security. The time of disconnected services and limited possibilities to communicate with Axis has been an unfortunate but necessary consequence. Our gradual entry into a post-attack normal is based on changes that help us avoid similar future situations,” the company added. 

The company declared the outages on Twitter handle however it did not entertain requests for further comments. On its status site Friday afternoon, the company said its Case Insight tool in the US and the Camera Station License System were dealing with partial outages.
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