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New Study Reveals Airbnb as a Haven for Cybercrime

 

Cybercriminals have been increasingly using the Airbnb network for illicit activities. A new research by cybersecurity experts at SlashNext uncovered the methods employed by these malicious actors to hack user accounts and benefit from stolen data. 

Due to its global ubiquity and reputation to offer travellers with affordable lodging, Airbnb—a household name in the travel industry—has become a prime target. SlashNext clarified, however, that because of this accessibility, cybercriminals have been able to take advantage of the system and exploit it for their own purposes.

Stealers are at the heart of these cyber-attacks, infiltrating devices and accumulating sensitive information such as login credentials. This stolen data is subsequently sent to the attackers, allowing them to gain unauthorised access to user accounts. The research sheds light on the numerous access points employed by cybercriminals, ranging from software flaws to social engineering techniques.

The study also uncovered an underground marketplace where cybercriminals buy and sell bulk access to hacked devices (also known as bots, installs, or infections). This enables thieves to rapidly deploy malicious software on a large scale, broadening the scope of their attacks.

Session cookies play a crucial role among the strategies used by cybercriminals to obtain unauthorised access to user accounts. These tiny files, which frequently provide momentary website access, record browsing habits and user preferences. 

Cybercriminals acquire stolen Airbnb account cookies from darknet marketplaces, enabling them to get access without having to use legitimate usernames and passwords. Even though they are brief in length, attackers quickly take advantage of these stolen access opportunities. 

The investigation also shows how the stolen data was sold. Online forums and digital marketplaces are used by cybercriminals to sell stolen cookies and compromised account information to interested parties. Each compromised Airbnb account apparently has had its value reduced to as little as one dollar due to the scope of the account theft. 

This research emphasises how crucial it is to comprehend the constantly evolving tactics used by cybercriminals as well as the weaknesses they prey upon. It serves as a reminder that even well-known services like Airbnb might include unreported dangers, mandating more user knowledge and proactive security measures.

Iranian Hackers: Israeli Tourism Sites Targeted

A malware targeted websites for the Israeli public transportation companies Dan and Kavim, a children's museum, and a public radio blog. Reportedly, none of the sites were reachable to users by Saturday noon.

On Tuesday, the Sharp Boys hacking group claimed to have stolen data from Israeli travel websites, including ID numbers, addresses, credit card details, and etc.

Websites were compromised 

As per hackers, the affected websites are hotels.co.il, isrotel.com, minihotel.co.il, tivago.co.il, and danhotels.com. Tuesday morning, according to the company, hotels.co.il was inaccessible, however by Tuesday afternoon, the site had loaded. 

"Hello once more! If you don't want your data disclosed by us, contact us as soon as possible," on Friday night, the hackers posted a message on Telegram. A follow-up message stated: "They did not get in touch with us, the first list of data is here " the group said, posting the data online.

Later on Saturday, the gang uploaded what it claimed to be information about customers of the Dan transportation company and a travel agency in a new message that claimed to have more data. "You are under our control no matter where you go, even on your travels. Please keep our name in mind." In an image shared on a Telegram account, Sharp Boys made the statement. 

Everything to know about Sharp Boys cyber gang

According to Israeli media, Sharp Boys is a hacking group with links to Iran that conducts cyber espionage for illicit purposes. 

The Sharp Boys hacker group first appeared in December when it claimed to have affected two Israeli hiking websites. They also claimed to have taken control of the website's backend administration and released a spreadsheet that contained the personal data of 120,000 people. 

In December last year, the group hacked into the Shirbit insurance company in Israel and stole vast volumes of data. When the company declined to pay the $1 million ransom demand, it exposed the data. A spreadsheet that contained personal data and credit card details for 100,000 people was released.

According to a report released on Tuesday by the Israeli cybersecurity firm Check Point, the average weekly number of assaults on businesses in the travel and leisure industry increased globally by 60% in June 2022 compared to the first half of June 2021.

Dutch Privacy Watchdog fines Booking.com €475K



On Wednesday, the Dutch Data Protection Authority reported that it had fined online travel agency Booking.com €475,000 for failing to disclose a data security incident within the required timeframe.

The fine was imposed by the Dutch data protection authority as the company is legally headquartered in Amsterdam. It came after criminals stole the personal data of over 4,000 Booking.com customers, including over 300 victims' credit card information. The cybercrooks attempted to phish the card information of others by posing as Booking.com employees over the phone.

Booking.com witnessed a similar incident in the past in November 2020, wherein the data of millions of its customers was jeopardized. The investigation revealed that the breach was caused due to Prestige Software which stored customers’ payment details with no protection. Any customer who had booked with the company since 2013 was affected by the breach. 

In an official statement, while announcing the fine, VP of Dutch regulator Monique Verdier said: "This is a serious violation. A data breach can, unfortunately, happen anywhere, even if you have taken good precautions. But to prevent damage to your customers and the recurrence of such a data breach, you have to report this in time."

The travel company detected the data breach on January 13, 2019, but did not alert the Data Protection Authority until February 7, although the incident should have been reported within 72 hours, Booking.com notified affected customers on February 4th. 

Of the delay, Booking.com said: "We, unfortunately, didn't get the matter escalated as fast as we would have liked internally. However, we have since implemented measures to further improve awareness and education amongst our partners and the employees who support them closely, with an aim of further optimizing the speed and efficiency of our internal reporting channels, which is an ongoing and iterative process." 

The company in an emailed statement also stated, “We have since taken additional steps to improve awareness and education amongst our partners and employees on important privacy measures and general security processes, while also working to further optimize the speed and efficiency of our internal reporting channels. The protection and security of personal data is and will remain a top priority at Booking.com.”