A malware is sending 30,000 sextortion emails per hour after taking over people's inboxes and have, till date, sent 27 million such emails to innocent persons with a threat to expose sexual content captured via their webcams for blackmail payments.
Global cybersecurity company Check Point on Thursday said after a five-month research project, it exposed Phorpiex (aka Trik) botnet that is using people to unknowingly send 30,000 sextortion emails per hour.
"In the 5-month period that we have been monitoring this operation, we recorded transfers of more than 11 BTC to the wallets of Phorpiex sextortion - currently over $110,000," said the company.
The sheer speed and volume of emails being generated is staggering, it added.
"The idea behind sextortion is simple - an email demands blackmail payment threatening to expose sexual content relating to the recipient if not obeyed. Many of us received such emails or know others that have," said researchers Gil Mansharov and Alexey Bukhteyev.
The botnet under study uses thousands of infected hosts under its control to deliver millions of threats to innocent recipients.
Phorpiex (aka Trik) botnet has been active for almost a decade and currently operates more than 450,000 infected hosts.
In the past, Phorpiex monetized mostly by distributing various other malware families including GandCrab, Pony, Pushdo and used its hosts to mine cryptocurrency utilizing various cryptominers.
"Recently, Phorpiex has added a new form of revenue generation to its abilities; A spam bot described in the following article is used by Phorpiex to run large-scale sextortion campaigns," the findings showed.
This is how the botnet works.
It uses a spam bot that downloads a database of email addresses from a command and control (C&C) server.
Then, an email address is randomly selected from the downloaded database, and a message is composed from several hardcoded strings.
The spam bot can produce a large amount of spam emails - up to 30,000 per hour. Each individual spam campaign can cover up to 27 million potential victims.
"The most interesting feature of the last spam campaigns is that Phorpiex/Trik spam bot uses databases with leaked passwords in combination with email addresses," said the researchers.
"A victim's password usually included in a spam email message to make it more persuasive and show that password is known to the attacker. To shock the victim a spam message starts from the string with the password," they added.
Leaked credential lists, containing passwords that are often not compatible with their linked email addresses, are a common inexpensive commodity.
"Phorpiex, a veteran botnet, has found a way to use them to generate a low maintenance, easy income on a long-term basis and is continuously propagating sextortion emails - in the millions," the researchers noted.
PPE-clad thieves clean Nashik ICICI Home Finance locker of Rs 5 cr gold jewellery
In a sensational operation, at least two thieves, one shrouded in a PPE kit, broke into the locker hold of the ICICI Home Finance Co. Ltd Nashik branch and scooted off with gold jewellery worth around Rs 4.93 crore, police said here on Monday.
Helicopter crashes en route to pick up Shiv Sena leader in Maha's Raigad
In a shocker, a private helicopter which was flying to pick up Shiv Sena Deputy Leader Sushma Andhare, suddenly crashed on landing, officials said here on Friday.
Salman Khan firing case: Accused gun supplier found hanging in Mumbai police lockup, declared dead
In a sensational development, Anuj Thapan, one of the prime accused in the firing at Salman Khan’s home, allegedly committed suicide in a Mumbai Police lockup on Wednesday, officials said.
Those who looted the country will have to pay back: PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that action against corrupt people would continue, and those who looted the country will have to pay back.
Day not far when you will travel in bullet train, PM Modi tells Puneites
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday assured Punekars that it is his guarantee to the citizens of Maharashtra that the day is not far when they will travel in a bullet train.
Five PMs in five years is INDIA bloc's new formula: PM Modi's swipe at Oppn alliance
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday attacked the INDIA bloc and the Shiv Sena faction led by former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray saying that “they have created a new formula whereby there will be five PMs in five years.”
Mahadev betting scam: Actress Tamannaah Bhatia summoned by Maha Police
Bollywood actress Tamannaah Bhatia has been summoned by the Maharashtra Cyber Police for the ongoing investigations into the multi-crore Mahadev online gambling and betting scam, officials here said on Thursday.
DMs, SPs of violence-hit MP districts transferred
The farmers agitation entered its eighth day on Thursday. The peasants have been on strike since June 1, demanding loan waiver and fair price for their produce.