BRANDEFENSE BRANDEFENSE
  • Home
  • Product
    How it works?
    Platform Overview
    Cyber Intelligence
    Brand & Reputation Protection
    Exposure Management
    Solutions
    Threat Intelligence Service
    Brand Protection
    Vulnerability Management
    Attack Surface Management
    Fraud Protection
    VIP Security
    Vulnerability Intelligence
    By Use Case
    Preventing Data Leakage
    Phishing Monitoring
    Account Takeover Detection
    Stolen Credit Cards
    Dark Web Monitoring
    Remediation and Takedown
    brandefense background
    Eliminate risks
    Explore the Brandefense
  • Blog
  • Resources
    Security News
    Threat Intelligence Researches
    Digital Risk Protection – FAQ
    We in the Press
  • Partners
    Channel Partners
    Deal Registration
  • Company
    About Us
    Career
    Privacy Policy
    Terms of Use
    Contact Us
Free Trial

BRANDEFENSE

  • Home
  • Product
    How it works?
    Platform Overview
    Cyber Intelligence
    Brand & Reputation Protection
    Exposure Management
    Solutions
    Threat Intelligence Service
    Brand Protection
    Vulnerability Management
    Attack Surface Management
    Fraud Protection
    VIP Security
    Vulnerability Intelligence
    By Use Case
    Preventing Data Leakage
    Phishing Monitoring
    Account Takeover Detection
    Stolen Credit Cards
    Dark Web Monitoring
    Remediation and Takedown
    brandefense background
    Eliminate risks
    Explore the Brandefense
  • Blog
  • Resources
    Security News
    Threat Intelligence Researches
    Digital Risk Protection – FAQ
    We in the Press
  • Partners
    Channel Partners
    Deal Registration
  • Company
    About Us
    Career
    Privacy Policy
    Terms of Use
    Contact Us
Security News – Week 21

Security News – Week 21

BRANDEFENSE
Weekly Newsletter
26/05/2022

Last updated on December 12th, 2022 at 02:38 pm

newsletter deepfake elon musk

Table of Contents

  • Cryptocurrency Scammers Targeted Elon Musk with Deepfake Technology
  • New Goal of Fraud and Phishing Activities: LinkedIn Users
    • Fake Notifications
    • Fake Job Offers
    • Fake Financial Advisory Offers
  • The New Phishing Attack Using Multiple Malware Types

Cryptocurrency Scammers Targeted Elon Musk with Deepfake Technology

Cryptocurrency scammers have been found to use the Deepfake video content of Elon Musk and other leading cryptocurrency advocates to promote a fake BitVex trading platform. The fake BitVex platform, allegedly owned by Elon Musk by threat actors, is known to hijack the currency deposited by visitors.

The scam campaign started when threat actors created fake YouTube accounts to host Deepfake-generated videos of Elon Musk, Cathie Wood, Brad Garlinghouse, Michael Saylor, and Charles Hoskinson in early May 2022. Deepfake is a technology in which a person in an existing image or video can be replaced with another person’s image using artificial neural networks.

In these videos, it is stated that Elon Musk introduced the fake BitVex platform created by fraudulent activities and invested $ 50 million in the platform. When the interviews conducted in the videos are examined, it is understood that Elon Musk’s voice was changed by simulating to promote the BitVex trading platform, but many different findings reveal that this is a fraudulent activity.

cryptocurrency deepfake elonmusk bitvex

The fake BitVex platform allegedly contains and references endorsements by Elon Musk and Cathie Wood, CEO of investment firm Ark Invest, and Changpeng Zhao, CEO of Binance. Users who want to use the BitVex platform must open an account at bitvex[.]org or bitvex[.]net to access the investment platform. After logging into the platforms, a relatively legitimate-looking dashboard is displayed where users can deposit various cryptocurrencies, choose an investment plan or withdraw their earnings.

deepfake elon musk

The perpetuation of such fraudulent activities by threat actors has become quite common and profitable. The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) has issued a warning that since October 2020, $80 Million worth of financial losses has been incurred due to cryptocurrency investment scams.

In this context, to not be the target of similar campaigns, crypto money users need to verify the validity of the crypto wallet application to be used before investment transactions. The simplest method for the verification process is to perform transactions with only a small amount in practice. Crypto scammers often use social media to promote their fraudulent schemes, as in the case under consideration. For this reason, it is recommended not to be trusted when faced with crypto opportunities promoted on social media.

security news newsletter

New Goal of Fraud and Phishing Activities: LinkedIn Users

During the intelligence studies, it was determined that LinkedIn, a business network and social sharing platform, is frequently used by threat actors in phishing activities carried out through various methods.

Linkedln, which provides reliability for users due to being a professional platform, creates a suitable ground for fraudulent activities carried out by threat actors. Some examples of campaigns where the LinkedIn platform has been manipulated using phishing or social engineering activities are detailed below;

Fake Notifications

By taking advantage of the notifications that LinkedIn users frequently encounter, threat actors can send phishing e-mails designed to infect users’ systems with malware or capture login credentials. These e-mails attract users’ attention by containing phrases such as “1 person viewed your profile”, “You’ve been viewed in 3 searches this week,” or “Congratulations on your connection’s new position,” which LinkedIn users are pretty familiar with.

When users click on the link in the e-mail, they are directed to a LinkedIn login page that requests login credentials. At the last stage, all other services where users logging in with LinkedIn username and password information use the same authentication are compromised by threat actors.

phishing activities for linkedin users

Fake Job Offers

To obtain LinkedIn users’ login and personal information, threat actors can communicate via direct message with the promise of high-paying job offers, causing users to open a malicious link if caught off guard. Scenarios are also observed in which threat actors, motivated to obtain more information about users, charge a certain fee to fill in personal information via Google Forms and obtain users’ bank information.

linkedin scam job offerings

Fake Financial Advisory Offers

It is a frequently observed situation that LinkedIn users are also targeted in Forex and cryptocurrency fraud activities carried out by threat actors. A well-trained and legal financial advisor reaches out to users with a “great investment” offer and convinces users to make the requested investment through a series of social engineering methods. In this process, professionally created web pages and content are used to ensure reliability. At the last stage, the convinced users are provided to transfer money or crypto money for the promised investment, and their bank/wallet and personal information are captured.

In order not to be the target of phishing/social engineering activities that can be carried out using the aforementioned methods, it is recommended to disregard suspicious-looking e-mails, attachments, and links that appear to come from LinkedIn, instead checking LinkedIn notifications directly. In addition, it is important to be careful about connection and message requests from unknown people, to control the privacy settings in case the personal information used on LinkedIn is public, and to create the login information used in the accounts using strong policies.

microsoft

The New Phishing Attack Using Multiple Malware Types

A phishing campaign targeting Microsoft Windows users used three different types of malware designed to snatch sensitive information from targets.

The chain of attacks begins with sending spear-phishing emails containing a malicious Excel document to the targets, which appears to be a payment report notification from a trusted source. Emails try to persuade recipients to open the attached Excel document for report detail. When the Excel file called “Remittance-Details-951244.xlam” is opened, and the macro is activated, a VBA (Visual Basic Application) script called “Auto_Open()” is executed, which is responsible for downloading the malware to be used in the campaign.

As a result of a series of steps performed through Powershell and the stated VBA scripts, malicious software called AveMariaRAT, BitRAT, and PandoraHVNC, which is responsible for capturing users’ sensitive information, including passwords and bank information, is downloaded to the target system. BitRAT can take full control of infected Windows systems, monitor webcam activity, listen to audio over the microphone, allow threat actors to perform undetected transactions on compromised cryptocurrency wallets, and download additional malicious files, which is why it was considered particularly dangerous.

the excel file named "remittance-details-951244.xlam"
avemariarat, bitrat, and pandorahvnc

There are no details yet as to why the campaign involved three malware. Still, the three different types of malware distributed are known to increase the chances of threat actors accessing sensitive information they want to capture. In this context, to not be the target of similar attacks, it is recommended not to rely on emails, attachments, and links from unknown parties and to prefer comprehensive security solutions.

AveMariaRAT BitRAT BitVex PandoraHVNC
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter
Search
Categories
APT GroupsBlogDark WebDRPSFraudRansomwareSector AnalysisSecurity NewsVIP SecurityWe in the PressWeekly Newsletter
Recent Posts
  • Perspective of the Month | APT Groups
    Perspective of the Month | APT Groups
  • BellaCiao: The New Malware From Iran’s Charming Kitten
    BellaCiao: The New Malware From Iran’s Charming Kitten
  • Security News Digest | Security Newsletter | April 27, 2023
    Security News Digest | Security Newsletter | April 27, 2023
  • Cyber Security Trends in 2023: What You Need to Know
    Cyber Security Trends in 2023: What You Need to Know
2023 Ransomware Trends Report
Let’s Dive in Ransomware Attack Trends
Report

Let’s Dive in Ransomware Attack Trends

Download Report
Follow us!

Continue Reading

Previous post

Cryptocurrency Scammers Targeted Elon Musk with Deepfake Technology

currency
goodwill ransomware group
Next post

GoodWill: A New Ransomware Group Raising Attention to Social Responsibility

particle element
We know what hackers know about you
Our cyber threat intelligence and security research team is ready to help you.
Request a demo
Free Trial
Contact
Login

Follow us on

brandefense logo brandefense

Brandefense is solving SOC’s complex challenges. We are here to help Brandefense customers to protect their brands and reputations against cyber threats.

United States:

300 Delaware Ave. Ste 210 #328 Wilmington, DE 19801 / USA

Turkey:

Üniversiteler Mahallesi, 1605.Cadde, Kapı No:3/1, No: 204, 06800 Çankaya/Ankara 06800

© 2022 Brandefense. All rights reserved.

Solutions
Threat IntelligenceBrand ProtectionVulnerability ManagementFraud ProtectionVIP SecurityAttack Surface ManagementVulnerability Intelligence
Use Case
Data LeakagePhishing MonitoringAccount Takeover DetectionStolen Credit CardsDark Web MonitoringRemediation / Takedown
Partners
Channel PartnersDeal Registration
Company
AboutCareerPrivacy PolicyTerms Of UseContact
Manage Cookie Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}
Close
Search

Hit enter to search or ESC to close