Creative Credential Phishing Scheme Targets Corporate Users
In this clever email phishing scheme, the victim is directed to a fake Microsoft Office 365 login page. If they are tricked and enter their password into the spoofed MS Office 365 web page, the credentials are verified in real-time and sent immediately to the hackers.
In this cyberattack, the victim receives a phishing email via their business email address. The email is sent from the legitimate Amazon Simple Email Service with a matching IP address which lets it bypass email security filters. Notes in the attack toolkit are written in the Malay language, indicating that the attack is international.
This cyberattack targeted “an American brand named among the Top 50 most innovative companies in the world in 2019,” says the report from cyber security researchers at Armorblox. “Credentials entered on the phishing webpage are being authenticated against Office 365 APIs in real-time to verify the password,” says the report.
The phishing email has the subject line that says “ACH Debit report” which is crafted to catch the recipient’s attention. In addition, it was sent on a Friday probably in an attempt to catch someone in a hurry. The body of the email reads: “Find enclosed Payment Remittance Report’ as of 7/11/2020 2:53:14 a.m. Thank you for your business!”. It also has an email attachment named “ACH Milton AcmeCorp.”
READ: Skype Phishing Email Steals Microsoft Office Login
Stolen Office 365 Credentials Verified in Real-Time
When the target clicks on the link in the phishing email, they are sent to a spoofed web page designed to look like an official Microsoft Office 365 login page. To make the spoofed web page more convincing, the target’s email address is pre-filled on the fake login page. Anything the threat actor can do to make it more likely that the target acts without scrutinizing the email or the login page, increases the chances the hacker will be successful. The attack email is sent from Amazon Simple Email Service allows it to bypass security scans.
The victim sees a webpage message that says, “Because you’re accessing sensitive info, you need to verify your password.” The victim’s email address is already pre-filled so they only need to enter in their password – making it quick and easy for the hacker.
READ: MS Office 365 Phishing Campaign Targets Corporate Zoom Users
“The web service behind the credential phishing page is hosted on teenagemoglen[.]com. The domain has been registered at Alibaba.com with a Singapore domain registrar since the end of May 2020. The website is hosted by UnifiedLayer, a hosting company based out of India, at a data center in Provo, Utah, United States,” says the report.
When the victim enters the password is verified in real-time against Microsoft Azure API. One of three things happen:
- If the entered password text is empty or too short, the user is forced to retry
- Upon verification if the authentication fails the user is redirected to login.microsoftonline.com
- If the victim’s password is correct, they are redirected to zoom.com
The attacker receives a notification that valid credentials were harvested. this gives them plenty of time to compromise the account before having a chance to react and change passwords or notify their IT department.
