Huge phishing network which claimed 480K victims broken by Europol

The network was active across Latin America and Europe

News By Ellen Jennings-Trace published 20 September 2024

Latin American and European law enforcement agencies have cracked an extensive phishing network which claimed almost half a million victims.

The man behind the network has reportedly been active since 2018, and developed a phishing-as-a-service platform, ‘iServer’, which allowed criminals to unlock stolen phones. He sold access to the platform and charged an extra fee for Call, SMS, or email phishing services.

In those five years, around 2,000 criminals, dubbed ‘unlockers’, gained access to over 1.2 million phones before they were busted. Assisted by Group-IB, the agencies made 17 arrests and seized 921 items, and conducted 28 searches as part of ‘Operation Kaerb’.

A joint operation

Group-IB, the cybersecurity firm which identified the network, said the criminals used credentials from cloud-based platforms and personal information from victims to unlock the phones. The victims were primarily Spanish-speaking nationals from around the world.

“While iServer was essentially an automated phishing platform, its specific focus on harvesting credentials to unlock stolen phones set it apart from typical phishing-as-a-service offerings," the company said.

“iServer’s platform features a web interface that enables low-skilled criminals, known as ‘unlockers,’ to steal device passwords, user credentials from cloud-based mobile platforms and other personal information from victims. This allows them to bypass ‘Lost Mode’ and unlock phones acquired through illegal means, ” Group-IB added.

Phishing attacks have gained significant popularity amongst cyber-criminals in recent times, with a reported 569% increase from 2022 to 2023. Since the tactic allows hackers to access the personally identifiable information of the victim, it presents significant risk for identity theft for victims. We've listed the best identity theft protection tools to help keep you safe.

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