Netflix Amazon Phishing Steals Office 365 Credentials
Cybercriminals are targeting victims with Mexican government, tax-related as well as Netflix and Amazon themed phishing emails. The goal of these cyber attacks is to steal Microsoft Office 365 login credentials. The cybercriminals target Spanish speakers who work for global corporations.
The phishing attack was spotted by cyber security researchers at Proofpoint. they began around January 2020 and still continue. Although the attacker only gains read access to the victims Microsoft account this is still a major threat to any corporation or individual. A compromised email account can lead directly to corporate espionage and financial losses.
The attacker is referred to as TA2552.
“Requesting read-only permissions for such account resources could be used to conduct account reconnaissance, silently steal data, or to intercept password reset messages from other accounts such as those at financial institutions.” says Proofpoint.
The attackers send phishing emails to victims with lures such as requests to update information or offer free services. If the victim is fooled and clicks on a link in the phishing email, they are sent to a legitimate third-party app which prompts them for their Microsoft login information. If they enter their username and password for Office 365, the hacker is able to access their Microsoft account.
if the target is not fooled by the first phishing email and does not enter in their Microsoft Office login credentials, they’re redirected to another spoof web page. They are again prompted for login information.
Once logged in, the attacker can read the victim’s information including email contacts, their profile, and all email contents.
READ: Beware of the Free Netflix Account Scam
“Impersonation of the Servicio de Administración Tributaria (SAT), Mexico’s tax authority, is a common message theme for this actor. When SAT is used in the phish lure, the email suggests that the recipient needs to update their contact information and is presented with what appears to be a link to do so,” says Proofpoint.
The attackers started with messages impersonating Mexican government-related messaging. More recently they started using Netflix Mexico and Amazon Prime Mexico messaging in their phishing emails. The branded phishing emails offer free services or free trials.
Compromised Email Accounts are Dangerous
Even though the cybercriminal only gains read access to the victim’s email account this is still a serious threat. The attacker has access to all of the victim’s email contacts. This means that they can send emails to the contacts using the victim’s name. The cybercriminals also can read all emails and with a corporate Microsoft account. This may mean they have access to sensitive and private company information.
Any compromised email account can be used to reset passwords. For example, the cybercriminal can scan the email account looking for emails from bank accounts, lenders, credit cards, and other financial related services. They can yet then use the email address to issue password resets. From there they can use the email account to get into bank accounts and credit cards and steal money.
