After Microsoft, Google also warned; Scammers are sending fake emails

Recently Microsoft had issued an advisory in which people were warned. Now Google has also issued a warning stating that Iranian government-backed groups are sending fake emails for phishing. They are affecting accounts related to the US presidential elections along with Israel. Let's know about it.

Muskan Muskan
Aug 16, 2024 - 14:28
After Microsoft, Google also warned; Scammers are sending fake emails
After Microsoft, Google also warned; Scammers are sending fake emails

A few days ago, Microsoft issued an advisory stating that Windows users may face outages like Crowdstrike again. However, this warning was given to Indian users. The Indian government has warned Microsoft Windows users. The Indian Computer Emergency Team (CERT-In) has issued an alert for Microsoft Windows users in India.

Now Google has also issued an advisory. Google's Threat Analysis Group (TAG) has issued a warning about an increase in phishing campaigns supported by the Iranian government. This group is known as APT42. Through this credential phishing attack, accounts related to Israel as well as the US presidential election are being targeted.

Google gave information in the block

  • Google said in the blog that APT42, associated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), constantly targets high-profile users in Israel and the US.
  • Former and current government officials, political campaigns, diplomats, and people working in think tanks have been affected.
  • Apart from this, NGOs and educational institutions have also been included in this list, which contributes to foreign policy.
  • In the last six months, about 60% of APT42 has affected the US and Israel.

Strategy used by hackers

  • Google also gave information in its blog about how these groups are targeting people.
  • Google said that APT42 uses many different strategies for its email phishing attacks.
  • This is a type of cybercrime in which attackers trick users into sharing sensitive information such as usernames and passwords. Similarly, APT42 is using a variety of methods to carry out its phishing attacks. Let's know about it.
  • Scammers send emails that involve legitimate organizations, such as government agencies, banks, or social media companies.
  • For this, they create fake websites that look like the real website of the organization.
  • Then they use social engineering techniques to trick users into clicking on malicious links or opening attachments.
  • Google said that they usually try to misuse services such as Google (ie Sites, Drive, Gmail, and others), Dropbox, and OneDrive for these purposes.
  • That's why TAG has informed users to be cautious and stay safe from phishing attacks.

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