Spam Affiliate Program Spamit.com to Close
Spamit, a closely guarded affiliate program that for years has paid some of the world’s top spammers to promote counterfeit pharmacy Web sites, now says that it will close up shop at the end of September.
Category Archives: Web Fraud 2.0
I’ll Take 2 MasterCards and a Visa, Please
When you’re shopping for stolen credit and debit cards online, there are so many choices these days. A glut of stolen data — combined with innovation and cutthroat competition among vendors — is conspiring to keep prices for stolen account numbers exceptionally low. Even so, many readers probably have no idea that their credit card information is worth only about $1.50 on the black market.
SpyEye Botnet’s Bogus Billing Feature
Miscreants who control large groupings of hacked PCs or “botnets” are always looking for ways to better monetize their crime machines, and competition among rival exploit kit developers is leading to several ingenious new features. The SpyEye botnet kit, for example, now not only allows botnet owners to automate the extraction of credit card and other financial data from infected systems, but it also can be configured to use those credentials to gin up bogus sales at online stores set up by the botmaster.
‘Stuxnet’ Worm Far More Sophisticated Than Previously Thought
The “Stuxnet” computer worm made international headlines in July, when security experts discovered that it was designed to use a previously unknown security hole in Microsoft Windows computers to steal industrial secrets and potentially disrupt operations of critical information networks. But new information about the worm shows that it leverages at least three other previously unknown security holes in Windows PCs, including a vulnerability that Redmond fixed in a software patch released today.
A One-Stop Money Mule Fraud Shop
A recent chat with an individual who was almost tricked into helping organized criminals launder thousands of dollars stolen through e-banking fraud introduced me to one of the most clever and convincing money mule recruitment Web sites I’ve ever encountered.… Read More »
Crooks Who Stole $600,000 From Catholic Diocese Said Money Was for Clergy Sex Abuse Victims
Organized thieves stole more than $600,000 from the Catholic Diocese of Des Moines, Iowa earlier this month, sending the money in small chunks overseas with the help of dozens of co-conspirators here in the United States.
Researchers Kneecap ‘Pushdo’ Spam Botnet
Security researchers have dealt a mighty blow to a spam botnet known as Pushdo, a massive grouping of hacked PCs that until recently was responsible for sending more than 10 percent of all e-mail worldwide.
NetworkSolutions Sites Hacked By Wicked Widget
Hundreds of thousands of Web sites parked at NetworkSolutions.com have been serving up malicious software, thanks to a tainted widget embedded in the pages, a security company warned Saturday.
Web application security vendor Armorize said it found the mass infection while responding to a complaint by one of its largest customers. Armorize said it traced the problem back to the “Small Business Success Index” widget, an application that Network Solutions makes available to site owners through its GrowSmartBusiness.com blog.
Spam King Leo Kuvayev Jailed on Child Sex Charges
A man identified as one of the world’s top purveyors of junk e-mail has been imprisoned in Russia for allegedly having sex with underage girls, KrebsOnSecurity.com has learned.
According to multiple sources, Leonid “Leo” Aleksandorovich Kuvayev, 38, was sent to a prison in the Russian Federation roughly six months ago. It is not clear how long his sentence is or precisely where he is being held.
e-Banking Bandits Stole $465,000 From Calif. Escrow Firm
A California escrow firm has been forced to take out a pricey loan to pay back $465,000 that was stolen when hackers hijacked the company’s online bank account earlier this year.
In March, computer criminals broke into the network of Redondo Beach-based Village Escrow Inc. and sent 26 consecutive wire transfers to 20 individuals around the world who had no legitimate business with the firm.
