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REvil is Back and Executes DDoS Attacks

I. Targeted Entities

  • Akami Technologies Incorporated and customers

II. Introduction

A recent denial of service (DDoS) campaign against a hospitality customer of Akamai, a cloud networking provider, and the defunct REvil ransomware gang claiming responsibility for it. It should be noted that researchers believe there is a high probability that the attack is not a resurgence of the infamous cybercriminal group but rather a copycat operation.

III. Background Information

Akamai researchers have been monitoring the DDoS attack since May 12th, when a customer alerted the company’s Security Incident Response Team (SIRT) of an attempted attack by a group purporting to be REvil. The requests contain demands for payment, a bitcoin wallet, and business/political demands.[1] While the attackers claim to be REvil, it is not clear if the defunct group is responsible for the attacks, given that the attacks seem smaller than previous attacks that the group claimed responsibility for. The apparent political motivation behind the DDoS campaign is also inconsistent with REvil’s M.O.

REvil, which hasn’t been seen since July 2021, was a Russia-based ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) group well-known for its attacks against Kaseya, JBS Foods, and Apple.[2] The disruptive nature of their attacks caused international authorities to take measures against the group, with Europol arresting a number of cybercriminals in November of 2021.[2] In March 2022, Russia, who up until then had done little to stop REvil’s operations, claimed responsibility for fully toppling the group at the behest of the U.S. government, arresting its individual members. One person arrested was instrumental in helping the ransomware group DarkSide, the group responsible for the Colonial Pipeline attack in May of 2021.[2]

The recent DDoS attack, which would be a shift in strategy for REvil, was comprised of a HTTP GET request in which the request path contained a message to the target containing a 554-byte message demanding payment. The victim was directed to send the bitcoin payment to a wallet address that “currently has no history and is not tied to any previously known bitcoin.”[2] The attack also has an additional geospecific demand that requested the targeted company to cease business operations across an entire country. The attackers threatened to launch follow-up attacks that would affect global business operations if the demand was not met and the ransom not paid in a specific amount of time.[2]

There is a precedent for REvil using DDos in its previous attacks, but it does not appear that this attack is the work of REvil. REvil’s M.O. was to gain access to a target network or organization and encrypt or steal sensitive data, demanding payment to decrypt or prevent information leakage to the highest bidders or threatening public disclosure of sensitive or damaging information. The technique in this attack is different from their normal strategy. The political motivation tied to the attack, which is linked to a legal ruling about the targeted company’s business model, also goes against REvil’s normal tactics, with leaders in the past saying that they were purely profit-driven.[2] However, it is possible that REvil is seeking a resurgence by trying out a new business model of DDoS extortion. However, what is more likely is cybercriminals using the name of a notorious cybercriminal group to frighten the targeted organization into meeting their demands.[2]

IV. MITRE ATT&CK

  • T1498– Network Denial of Service
    This type of attack involves the adversary blocking the availability of targeted resources to users of a system. In this case, the adversary exhausted the network bandwidth that Akamai customers relied on and demanded payment to end this attack.

V. Recommendations

  • Phishing Awareness Training
    Users should be informed and educated about new kinds of phishing scams currently being used and ones that have been used in the past. Awareness training should instruct users to avoid suspicious emails, links, websites, attachments, etc. Users should also be educated about new types of attacks and schemes to mitigate risk. Recommended link: https://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/tips/ST04-014
  • Set Antivirus Programs to Conduct Regular Scans
    Ensure that antivirus and antimalware programs are scanning assets using up-to-date signatures.
  • Monitor Malware
    Continuously monitor current and new types of malware. Stay up to date on intel and advancements to prevent, defend, and mitigate these types of threats.
  • Strong Cyber Hygiene
    Enforce a strong password policy across all networks and subsystems. Remind users to be wary of any messages asking for immediate attention, links, downloads, etc. All sources should be verified. Recommended link: https://us-cert.cisa.gov/ncas/alerts/aa21-131a
  • Turn on Endpoint Protection
    Enable endpoint detection and response (EDR) to stop unknown malware in the product you’re using.

VI. Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

Because the HTTP GET request headers are out of order when compared to “typical” patterns, a custom-developed DDoS attack tool is assumed to be used, and it is possible that the values might change between campaigns. As such, Larry Cashdollar, a researcher at Akamai, says that writing signatures for these patterns may not benefit defenders from an IOC standpoint. More information can be found at the link below:

https://www.akamai.com/blog/security/revil-resurgence-or-copycat

VII. References

(1) Cashdollar, Larry. “REvil Resurgence? Or a Copycat?” Akamai Blog. Akamai Technologies, May 25, 2022. https://www.akamai.com/blog/security/revil-resurgence-or-copycat.

(2) Montalbano, Elizabeth. “Cybergang Claims Revil Is Back, Executes DDoS Attacks.” Threatpost English Global, May 26, 2022. https://threatpost.com/cybergang-claims-revil-is-back-executes-ddos-attacks/179734/.

Threat Advisory created by the Cyber Florida Security Operations Center.
Contributing Security Analysts: Dorian Pope, Sreten Dedic, EJ Bulut, Uday Bilakhiya, Tural Hagverdiyev.

REvil is Back and Executes DDoS Attacks2024-07-11T11:37:41-04:00

Trojan Attacks Google Play Store Again

I. Targeted Entities

  • iPhone users

II. Introduction

New attacks have been discovered on iPhones that can be executed despite the device being turned off. This is a direct result of how Apple implements wireless features in iPhones such as Bluetooth, Near Field Communications (NFC), and Ultra-wideband (UWB) technologies. These features remain active on iPhones when powered down, which makes attack scenarios, such as loading malware on an iPhone’s Bluetooth chip to be executed while powered off, possible.

III. Background Information

The features previously mentioned have access to the iPhone’s Secure Element (SE) which stores sensitive information, even when the iPhone is shut off, according to a team of researchers from Germany’s Technical University of Darmstadt.[1] Because of this, malware is able to be loaded onto a Bluetooth chip that is executed while the iPhone is off (Germans). By attacking these wireless features, cybercriminals can access secure information, including a user’s credit card data, banking details, and even digital car keys on the iPhone.[2] Although this threat is ever-present, exploiting the threat is not so easy, with the threat actors still having to load the malware when the iPhone is on for later execution when the iPhone is off. This would require system-level access or remote code execution (RCE).[3]

The researchers at Germany’s Technical University of Darmstadt say that the cause of the issue is the low power mode (LPM) for wireless chips on iPhones. The LPM issue is caused when the user turns off their iPhone or when iOS shuts down automatically due to low battery. The researchers say that this is different than the power-saving feature that can be enabled by the user in the Settings app or

the Control Center. Because LMP is based on the iPhone’s hardware, and a solution cannot be patched via software, “wireless chips can no longer be trusted to be turned off after shutdown. This poses a new threat model.”[1]

Researchers analyzed the security of LPM features in a layered approach, observing the impact of the feature on application-, firmware-, and hardware-level security. A potential threat scenario that the researchers outlined on the iPhone’s firmware assumes that an attacker either has system-level access or can gain RCE using a known Bluetooth vulnerability.[2] In this attack, a threat actor with system-level access could modify firmware of any component that supports LPM. This way, they maintain limited control of the iPhone, even when the user turns the iPhone off.[3] Even if all firmware would be protected against manipulation, an attacker with system-level access could still send custom commands to chips that allow for “very fine-grained configuration, including advertisement rotation intervals and contents.” This could allow an attacker to create settings that would allow them to locate a user’s device with higher accuracy than the legitimate user in the Find My app, for example. [4]

The researchers reported their research to Apple, which did not provide feedback on the issues raised. A potential solution, according to the researchers, is for Apple to add “a hardware-based switch to disconnect the battery” so these wireless elements wouldn’t have power while an iPhone is powered down.[5]

IV. MITRE ATT&CK

  • T1204 – User Execution
    Adversaries must have system-level access to iPhones to conduct this kind of attack. Thus, they may attempt to social engineer iPhone users to load malware into their devices to be later executed when powered off.
  • T1569 – System Services
    Adversaries that have system-level control over iPhones will be able to execute malware remotely. Having this kind of control would give adversaries the ability to modify firmware that control low power mode, Bluetooth, NFC, and other wireless communication protocols.
  • T1644 – Out of Band Data
    Adversaries are capable of executing previously loaded malware on iPhones that have been powered off. Out-of-band data streams, such as Bluetooth and NFC, allow adversaries to execute malware remotely without needing any power from the device’s battery.

V. Recommendations

  • Set Antivirus Programs to Conduct Regular Scans
    Ensure that antivirus and antimalware programs are scanning assets using up-to-date signatures.
  • Monitor Malware
    Continuously monitor current and new types of malware. Stay up to date on intel and advancements to prevent, defend, and mitigate these types of threats.
  • Strong Cyber Hygiene
    Enforce a strong password policy across all networks and subsystems. Remind users to be wary of any messages asking for immediate attention, links, downloads, etc. All sources should be verified.
    Recommended link: https://us-cert.cisa.gov/ncas/alerts/aa21-131a
  • Turn on Endpoint Protection
    Enable endpoint detection and response (EDR) to stop unknown malware in the product you’re using.

VI. Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

The link below has been included to assist with the download of some identified IOCs related to this Threat Advisory report. Be on the lookout for these IOCs, as well as anything that looks similar.

https://usf.box.com/s/inzlsmaxpkn72bo64sv5wya7ythbftid

VII. References

(1) Cleafy Labs. “TeaBot Is Now Spreading across the Globe.” Cleafy Labs. Cleafy Labs, January 3, 2022. https://www.cleafy.com/cleafy-labs/teabot-is-now-spreading-across-the-globe.

(2) Nelson, Nate. “Teabot Trojan Haunts Google Play Store, Again.” Threatpost English Global, March 2, 2022. https://threatpost.com/teabot-trojan-haunts-google-play-store/178738/.

Threat Advisory created by the Cyber Florida Security Operations Center.
Contributing Security Analysts: Dorian Pope, Ipsa Bhatt, Sreten Dedic, EJ Bulut, Uday Bilakhiya, Tural Hagverdiyev.

Trojan Attacks Google Play Store Again2024-07-11T11:38:44-04:00

UCF Professor’s Research Helps Inform Policy, Laws Surrounding Intimate Partner Cyber Abuse

There are various positive aspects to living in a time in which technology is more prevalent and accessible than ever, but there are also many shadows in the realm of the cyberspace.

This is why Erica Fissel’s goal is to illuminate the interpersonal victimization that occurs in cyberspace in hopes that her work will be used to help inform policy and help these victims.

Fissel, an assistant professor in the Department of Criminal Justice, doesn’t consider herself a particularly technology-savvy person but was fascinated with the way people behave online versus offline. From there, she began to look at what use or abuse of technology looks like in an intimate partner relationship. A member of UCF’s Violence Against Women faculty cluster, she focuses on the impact it has on women.

Although she didn’t intentionally seek to make women the focus of her research, Fissel says she quickly discovered that women are the most likely to experience such forms of interpersonal victimization. She also works with the Cybercrime Support Network to help serve those affected by the growing impacts of cybercrime.

“This area is so interesting to me because it’s so underdeveloped, and there are so many ways that people can use technology to abuse their partners that I would have never thought of,” she says.

Such technology can include smart-home systems like video doorbells, which can be used to track or monitor an intimate partner. Even reading a partner’s text messages without their permission can fall into the category of technology-based abuse under certain circumstances.

She adds that it’s important to realize that intimate partner cyber abuse is not illegal. There may be laws applicable to cyberstalking or cyber harassment, but intimate partner cyber abuse extends beyond those behaviors.

“Because of that, people don’t know what they’re experiencing is abusive or problematic,” Fissel says. “They don’t know that they should be able to get help for it. I want my work to be able to inform policies and laws. I want to help individuals experiencing these behaviors access helpful resources, realize that they’re experiencing problematic behavior and get out of those situations.”

In her Women and Crime course, Fissel often finds herself teaching survivors and others who have experienced intimate partner cyber abuse. She’s even had students realize through the class that they are either currently being victimized or have been in the past.

“It’s very heavy material for students, but what I try to do is have a very open dialogue and safe space within the class where people are able to share their ideas,” she says. “We can talk about these types of behaviors and experiences because they’re important to understand.”

Defining the Cyber Abuse Spectrum

Although statistics show that women are generally more likely to be victims of intimate partner violence, Fissel says she is seeing more parity between men and women engaging in cyber-based abuse.

One of the projects Fissel has been working on examines the normalization or societal acceptance of behaviors that could be considered cyber abuse. She and a team of researchers from other universities collaborated on the study, which was funded by a faculty enrichment grant from the University of Cincinnati’s Criminal Justice Research Center. They collected data from 1,500 adults currently in an intimate partner relationship and asked about their experiences with intimate partner cyber abuse, perpetration and victimization within the past six months.

“We did a pilot test, and 100% of people experienced intimate partner cyber abuse as we defined it in the past six months,” Fissel says. “We thought, ‘This is a much bigger problem than we thought or we’re measuring it wrong.’ We talked to people about it, and some of the behaviors that we were defining as abusive aren’t abusive in all contexts.”

For example, tracking a partner via GPS would be considered abusive if it was being done without consent. However, Fissel says, many participants later indicated they tracked each other’s locations for safety reasons.

“That’s one of the tricky things with intimate partner cyber abuse, because it’s totally relationship specific and dependent on whether the boundaries developed with your partner were agreed upon without coercion,” she says.

In addition to looking at intimate partner cyber abuse on the victimization side, Fissel also is working on it from the perpetration side. That entails trying to understand why people engage in such behaviors, which is vital to being able to prevent them from happening.

Fissel also is working on another study with Jackie Woerner, an assistant professor in UCF’s departments of sociology and psychology, that focuses on the perpetration side. The two surveyed 544 people and followed up with nearly 300 of them a month later to examine their intimate partner cyber abuse behaviors over time. Part of this research involved asking participants about the factors that motivate their behavior. Fissel says many cited personal insecurities such as lack of trust.

“There’s almost a range within intimate partner cyber abuse,” she says. “There are things like checking someone’s text messages without their permission, which I would say is probably on the lower end of the spectrum. Then you also have people who are opening bank accounts in your name and ruining your credit, or people who are sending you threatening text messages. We’re also trying to figure out where the line that society draws is, because that’s going to help with trying to determine laws, too.”

Fissel received her doctorate in criminal justice from the University of Cincinnati. Her primary research interests focus on various types of interpersonal victimization that take place online, including cyberstalking, intimate partner cyber abuse and cyberbullying. She joined UCF’s Department of Criminal Justice, part of the College of Community Innovation and Education, in 2019.

Retrieved from UCF.edu. To see the original article, visit: https://www.ucf.edu/news/ucf-professors-research-helps-inform-policy-laws-surrounding-intimate-partner-cyber-abuse/

UCF Professor’s Research Helps Inform Policy, Laws Surrounding Intimate Partner Cyber Abuse2022-05-09T14:33:22-04:00

Password Tips to Help Keep Your Information Secure

Passwords are an essential part of protecting your personal information from cybercriminals. We all know that passwords can be a source of endless frustration in the digital world, and you’ve probably asked yourself, “do I really need to set a different password for each of my accounts?” Well, the short answer is yes.

Imagine that you are the ruler of a village, and your enemies are making their way to attack. Would you employ a single guard to protect every building and person across the land? No! You would send out an army of guards, each with a specific post to protect to increase your chances of a successful defense.

Your passwords work in the same way. Each of your online accounts needs its own unique password to ensure that your personal information is protected from potential attacks. If you reuse the same password for every account, all your personal information is at risk in an instant if that password is exposed by a cybercriminal seeking to infiltrate your accounts. Using an individual unique password for each account helps ensure that even if one password is exposed, your other accounts will remain protected.

In honor of World Password Day today, consider the following suggestions to help ensure that your passwords are successfully protecting your personal and confidential data from prying eyes.

Tips for Good Password Hygiene

Passwords vs Passphrases

Passphrases are a form of a password that is composed of a sentence or a combination of words. Often, passphrases can be more secure than normal passwords because they are longer yet easier to remember, reducing the likelihood that you will reuse the same password across multiple accounts for convenience.  

In contrast to passwords, passphrases are often created by using random words or phrases that are significant to the user but would hold no meaning to any other person. An easy way to create a passphrase that is simple to remember, yet secure enough to protect your account, is to select three to four words that are relevant and significant to you.  

It’s recommended not to use common greetings that can be easily guessed by others, such as “LiveLaughLove,” and instead use a phrase or words that would mean nothing to someone other than yourself. For example, on my desk I currently have a flag, mug, coffee, and a book, so an appropriate passphrase for me could be “FlagMugCoffeeBook”.  

While it may seem counterintuitive to use a series of random words for a credential, phrases like these are more memorable and far more secure than a password, which typically seeks security through a mix of numbers, special characters, and upper and lowercase letters. 

According to an article from Impact Networking, “the benefit of passphrases is that they make it easier for a user to generate entropy and a lack of order—and thus more security—while still creating a memorable credential. Generating entropy through randomized characters can be difficult, but this also makes it more difficult to launch a cyberattack against you.” 

Password Managers

So, now that you have created strong and unique passphrases for each of your individual accounts, how are you supposed to remember them? 

This is perhaps one of the main reasons why so many people commonly reuse passwords across multiple accounts. The truth is, unless you’re a robot or have a supernatural photographic memory, it’s probably going to be impossible to remember all your passwords without keeping track of them somewhere, and that’s okay! 

Luckily for us non-robots, there are plenty of password managers out there that can help you keep track of your credentials for all your accounts in a safe and secure way. 

Malwarebytes Labs defines a password manager as “a software application designed to store and manage online credentials. It also generates passwords. Usually, these passwords are stored in an encrypted database and locked behind a master password.” 

This means that once you enter your account usernames and credentials into the secure vault, the only password you need to remember is that master password, and the password manager will do the rest for you! 

For a list of the top-rated free password managers available in 2022, visit: https://www.pcworld.com/article/394076/best-free-password-managers.html. 

Password Tips

  • Refrain from reusing passwords on multiple sites and applications.
  • Add multi-factor authentication whenever possible for an added layer of security.
  • Update your passwords regularly.
  • Don’t text or email your passwords to anyone.
  • Do not create passwords based on your personal information or details, such as birthdays, names of family members, Social Security or phone numbers, etc.
  • See if any of your passwords have been exposed by entering your email address at https://haveibeenpwned.com/
Password Tips to Help Keep Your Information Secure2022-10-27T09:57:58-04:00

Expert: North Korea’s $625M Crypto Hack Presents a New Threat

US authorities this week tied North Korean hackers to the historic $625 million Axie Infinity crypto swindle, with the massive hack signifying the emergence of a new type of national security threat, according to a blockchain expert.

On Thursday, the US Treasury Department added an Ethereum wallet address to its sanction list after the wallet facilitated transfers for more than $86 million of the stolen funds. The hacking outfits Lazarus and APT38, both linked to North Korea, were behind the theft, the FBI said in a statement, and the funds are generating revenue for Kim Jong Un’s regime. Ari Redbord, head of legal and government affairs at blockchain research firm TRM, says the attack shows that even a nation as isolated as North Korea can participate in new-age cyber-warfare.

Expert: North Korea’s $625M Crypto Hack Presents a New Threat2022-05-03T16:02:21-04:00

H-ISAC Report Identifies Top Cyber Threats Concerning Healthcare Execs

H-ISAC and Booz Allen Hamilton released a report and survey outlining the top cyber threats concerning healthcare executives in today’s sophisticated cyber threat landscape.

H-ISAC surveyed cybersecurity, IT, and non-IT executives and found no significant differences between the disciplines when the experts were asked to rank the top five greatest cybersecurity concerns facing their organizations in 2021 and 2022.

Ransomware deployment was the top-rated concern, followed by phishing and spear-phishing, third-party breaches, data breaches, and insider threats.

The report noted that over the past decade, the healthcare industry has improved interconnectivity and data accessibility. However, those technological advancements came at the cost of security in many cases.

“The healthcare industry is especially at risk due to the value of sensitive personally identifiable information (PII) housed within systems, an increase on the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT), insufficient cybersecurity protection, the need for data transparency, and ineffective employee awareness training,” the report noted.

“Often, healthcare providers rely on legacy systems; outdated computer systems that are still in use and provide less protection and increased susceptibility for an attack.”

In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic heightened risk due to an increase in remote work and the value of vaccine research and data.

Meanwhile, nation-state threat actors are increasing their attacks in severity and scope. The report pointed to Chinese and Russian nation-state threat actors as top threats in 2021 and going into 2022.

“With many nations making efforts to move beyond the pandemic, we assess that nation-state activity against healthcare will increase, especially with changes in strategic priorities around the globe,” the report continued.

“Tensions between Russia and Ukraine, as well as Chinese activity regarding Taiwan, are examples of nation-states returning to standard geopolitical strategies, which will reflect in cyberspace.”

Researchers predicted that Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) will continue to be used and will become the most popular operating model for cybercriminals. In addition, threat actors will continue to look for vulnerabilities in medical devices due to the fact that most are on legacy systems.

“Due to the huge growth in cybercrime and large ransomware payouts, sophisticated and organized criminal groups will be able to invest heavily into R&D and develop new ways to conduct automated and effective scams,” the report predicted.

“The criminals will leverage machine learning, artificial intelligence and deep fakes to perpetrate efficient and effective criminal campaigns.”

Additionally, H-ISAC and Booz Allen Hamilton predicted that supply chain attacks would continue to increase considering the successful breaches of Kaseya and SolarWinds.

To mitigate threats, H-ISAC recommended that healthcare organizations implement network segmentation, endpoint security, and access controls. Healthcare executives should also adopt a layered defense approach within their organizations and utilize data backups as well as prevention and detection technologies.

As seen in HealthITSecurity: https://healthitsecurity.com/news/h-isac-report-identifies-top-cyber-threats-concerning-healthcare-execs
H-ISAC Report Identifies Top Cyber Threats Concerning Healthcare Execs2022-04-08T10:40:45-04:00

FBI Warning – Cyber Actors Target U.S. Election Officials with Invoice-Themed Phishing Campaign

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is warning U.S. election and other state and local governments about invoice-themed phishing emails that could be used to harvest officials’ login credentials. If successful, this activity may provide cyber actors with sustained, undetected access to a victim’s systems.

The FBI judges cyber actors will likely continue or increase their targeting of U.S. election officials with phishing campaigns in the lead-up to the 2022 U.S. midterm elections.

For more information about this threat and recommendations to reduce the risk of compromise, see the full alert from the FBI below.

FBI Warning – Cyber Actors Target U.S. Election Officials with Invoice-Themed Phishing Campaign2022-03-31T12:11:10-04:00

Top 5 Tax Scams Targeted to Taxpayers

As people across the nation prepare to file their 2021 tax returns, cybercriminals are taking advantage by delivering new scams designed to steal personal information and money from unsuspecting victims. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) scams happens when someone who pretends to work for the IRS contacts you by phone, email, postal mail, or a text message. Thousands of people have lost millions of dollars as well as their personal; information to tax scams, and it’s safe to assume that attackers will continue targeting individuals and businesses this year. Consider the following common scams and best practices to help protect yourself from falling victim to a tax-related scam this year.

Top 5 Tax Scams to Be Aware Of

1. SSN Scams


Taxpayers should be careful of new variations of tax-related scams. In the latest twist on a scam related to Social Security numbers, scammers claim to be able to suspend or cancel the victim’s SSN. Scammers may mention overdue taxes in addition to threatening to cancel the person’s SSN. If taxpayers receive a call threatening to suspend their SSN for an unpaid tax bill, they should just hang up.

Taxpayers should not give out sensitive information over the phone unless they are positive that the caller is legitimate. When in doubt –hang up. Here are some telltale signs of this scam. The IRS and its authorized private collection agencies will never:

  • Call to demand immediate payment using a specific payment method such as a prepaid debit card, iTunes gift card or wire transfer. The IRS does not use these methods for tax payments.
  • Ask a taxpayer to make a payment to a person or organization other than the U.S. Treasury.
  • Threaten to immediately bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have the taxpayer arrested for not paying.
  • Demand taxes be paid without giving the taxpayer the opportunity to question or appeal the amount owed.

Taxpayers who don’t owe taxes and have no reason to think they do should:

Taxpayers who owe tax or think they do should:

  • View tax account information online at IRS.gov to see the actual amount owed and review their payment options.
  • Call the number on the billing notice
  • Call the IRS at 800-829-1040.

2. Phone Scams

With the new tax season starting, the IRS reminds taxpayers to be aware that criminals continue to make aggressive calls posing as IRS agents in hopes of stealing taxpayer money or personal information.

Here are some telltale signs of a tax scam along with actions taxpayers can take if they receive a scam call.

The IRS will never:

  • Call to demand immediate payment using a specific payment method such as a prepaid debit card, gift card or wire transfer. Generally, the IRS will first mail a bill to any taxpayer who owes taxes.
  • Threaten to immediately bring in local police or other law enforcement groups to have the taxpayer arrested for not paying.
  • Demand that taxes be paid without giving taxpayers the opportunity to question or appeal the amount owed.
  • Call unexpectedly about a tax refund.

Taxpayers who receive these phone calls should:

  • Record the number and then hang up the phone immediately.
  • Report the call to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) using their IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting form or by calling 800-366-4484.
  • Report the number to [email protected] and be sure to put “IRS Phone Scam” in the subject line.

3. University students and staff of impersonation email scams


The IRS warned of an ongoing IRS-impersonation scam that appears to primarily target educational institutions, including students and staff who have “.edu” email addresses. The IRS has received complaints about the impersonation scam in recent weeks from people with email addresses ending in “.edu.” The phishing emails appear to target university and college students from both public and private, profit and non-profit institutions.

The suspect emails display the IRS logo and use various subject lines such as “Tax Refund Payment” or “Recalculation of your tax refund payment.” It asks people to click a link and submit a form to claim their refund.

The phishing website requests taxpayers provide their:

  • Social Security number
  • Name
  • Date of Birth
  • Prior Year Annual Gross Income (AGI)
  • Driver’s License Number
  • Electronic Filing PIN
  • And other personally identifiable information

People who receive this scam email should not click on the link in the email, but they can report it to the IRS. For security reasons, save the email using “save as” and then send that attachment to [email protected] or forward the email as an attachment to [email protected].

Taxpayers who believe they may have provided identity thieves with this information should consider immediately obtaining an Identity Protection PIN. An IP PIN is a six-digit number that helps prevent identity thieves from filing fraudulent tax returns in the victim’s name.

Taxpayers who attempt to e-file their tax return and find it rejected because a return with their SSN already has been filed should file a Form 14039, Identity Theft Affidavit PDF, to report themselves as a possible identity theft victim. See Identity Theft Central to learn about the signs of identity theft and actions to take.

4. Tax return preparer


As people begin to file their 2021 tax returns, taxpayers are reminded to avoid unethical ghost tax return preparers.

A ghost preparer is someone who doesn’t sign tax returns they prepare. Unscrupulous ghost preparers often print the return and have the taxpayer to sign and mail it to the IRS. For e-filed returns, the ghost will prepare but refuse to digitally sign as the paid preparer.

Ghost tax return preparers may also:

  • Require payment in cash only and not provide a receipt.
  • Invent income to qualify their clients for tax credits.
  • Claim fake deductions to boost the size of the refund.
  • Direct refunds into their bank account, not the taxpayer’s account.

By law, anyone who is paid to prepare or assists in preparing federal tax returns must have a valid Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN). Paid preparers must sign and include their PTIN on the return. Not signing a return is a red flag that the paid preparer may be looking to make a quick profit by promising a big refund or charging fees based on the size of the refund.

It’s important for taxpayers to choose their tax return preparer wisely. The Choosing a Tax Professional page on IRS.gov has information about tax preparer credentials and qualifications. The IRS Directory of Federal Tax Return Preparers with Credentials and Select Qualifications can help identify many preparers by type of credential or qualification.

No matter who prepares their return, taxpayers should review it carefully and ask questions about anything that’s not clear before signing. They should verify their routing and bank account number on the completed tax return for any direct deposit refund. Taxpayers should watch out for ghost preparers putting their bank account information on the returns.

Taxpayers can report preparer misconduct to using IRS Form 14157, Complaint: Tax Return Preparer PDF. If a taxpayer suspects a preparer filed or changed their tax return without their consent, they should file Form 14157-A, Tax Return Preparer Fraud or Misconduct Affidavit PDF.

5. “Tax Transcript” email scam


The Internal Revenue Service and Security Summit partners recently warned the public of a surge of fraudulent emails impersonating the IRS and using tax transcripts as bait to entice users to open documents containing malicious software, also known as malware.

The scam is especially problematic for businesses whose employees might open the malware because it can spread throughout the network and take months to remove.

This well-known malware, known as Emotet, generally poses as specific banks and financial institutions to trick people into opening infected documents. However, in the past few weeks, the scam masqueraded as the IRS, pretending to be from “IRS Online.” The scam email carries an attachment labeled “Tax Account Transcript” or something similar, and the subject line uses some variation of the phrase “tax transcript.”

The IRS reminds taxpayers it does not send unsolicited emails to the public, nor would it email a sensitive document such as a tax transcript, which is a summary of a tax return. The IRS urges taxpayers not to open the email or the attachment. If using a personal computer, delete or forward the scam email to [email protected]. If you see these while using an employer’s computer, notify the company’s technology professionals.

The United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) issued a warning in July about earlier versions of the Emotet in Alert (TA18-201A) Emotet Malware.

US-CERT has labeled the Emotet Malware “among the most costly and destructive malware affecting state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) governments, and the private and public sectors.”

Source: Tax Scams / Consumer Alerts | Internal Revenue Service

Top 5 Tax Scams Targeted to Taxpayers2022-02-28T18:01:28-05:00

Staying Secure on Mobile Devices

Cell phones have come a long way in the past two decades. From the first PDA to flip-phones, technological progress seemed to be slow and steady until the market was disrupted in 2007. Once smart phones were on the scene, everything about mobile devices rapidly changed. Nowadays, mobile devices are at an all-time high for popularity and functionality. Unfortunately, this meteoric rise in capabilities and access has led to a corresponding increase in cybersecurity risks and threats. With a tool as broadly used as cell phones, almost the entire population is at risk.

Cybercriminals have been targeting mobile devices at an unprecedented rate. Threat actors have exploited the fact that the extensive capabilities associated with mobile devices equate to personal computers. Threats that were once relegated to enterprise workstations now plague the mobile ecosystem, causing great financial loss each year. With cybersecurity, knowledge is power. We hope that this blog can expose readers to the threats and preventative measures in mobile device usage.

In order to better understand ways to protect oneself from these risks, we need to take a look at some of the threats that face the everyday mobile device user.

Malware for Mobile Devices

Most mobile devices contain application stores with a “closed ecosystem.” This method of obtaining new software allows certification teams to verify the integrity of applications before allowing users to download. In theory, this process would prevent all but the most subtle malware from infecting non-jailbroken devices. The reality is that this process is overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of applications, updates, and re-releases on the respective application stores. This ecosystem is closed only in the sense that profits must be shared with the providing host. Malware can and will make its way onto application stores.

Unsecured Wi-Fi and Mobile Access

Wi-Fi is rarely as safe as most people believe, especially in regard to mobile devices. By constantly being “on the move”, mobile devices are faced with a unique challenge of interacting with a huge array of mobile hotspots and wireless access points. Disregarding the more advanced risks associated with poorly configured wireless access, a major threat to all mobile users is the risk of a “Man in the Middle Attack.” This attack is essentially somebody spoofing the access point that you intended to connect to and reading (and potentially editing) all unencrypted traffic that is being sent or received on your device.

Phishing Attacks

Phishing attacks have reached a critical mass for severity. At a certain point, an attack method becomes so successful and easy to execute that other, more advanced attacks begin to fall out of favor. Phishing is extra relevant to mobile devices due to the “on the go” nature of mobile device usage. Our assumption is that the average person is less careful when clicking links on mobile since they believe that their phones are immune to viruses. While a large portion of malware in emails might not affect the mobile devices, there are still countless other risks associated with phishing that apply to mobile devices.

Spyware and Mobile Botnets

Spyware is a form of malware that monitors activity on a device and reports back to a centralized location. Spyware is extremely common on less-than-reputable mobile applications due to the fact that it can go unnoticed while delivering constant data to cybercriminals. This data can then be used to do things such as form malicious advertisement campaigns, take over accounts, or perform corporate espionage. This similar type of attack can actually infect your device with software that allows attackers to perform their attacks using your mobile device resources, generally called a mobile botnet.

Stolen Devices

The most obvious “attack” of all – simply stealing a mobile device – presents a massive cybersecurity threat. Many users find PINs and Passwords inconvenient and cumbersome, allowing attackers to gain easy access to a device that they have stolen. All sorts of data and nefarious actions can be taken with stolen mobile devices.

Now that we have looked at some of the most common attacks, what can we do to protect against these threats?

Watch What You Download

When downloading applications from sanctioned sources, be sure to check reviews and version update notes. Excessive permissions are also a cause for concern – if your timer application requires access to core system files, there may be a problem. Try to download apps that are “popular,” with a high number of downloads and positive reviews. This will not help against all spyware and malware, but it should reduce the risk. Never use jailbroken devices or unofficial application sources unless you are extremely familiar with the risks and willing to do extra research and invest into security software. Mobile Anti-Virus is gaining popularity – these tools can help provide an additional layer of defense but should never be a replacement for common sense.

Use Familiar Networks

Traveling with a mobile device is a given. Be sure to triple-check all connections that you are trusting with your device – wireless access point spoofing attacks often impersonate popular connection locations such as airports or hotels. If you notice something strange about the signal quality, naming convention, or even number of available networks then it is best to ask a staff member what the proper network is for connectivity. When utilizing public Wi-Fi, never type any credentials into websites or applications that are not encrypted.

Use Passwords, PINS, and Multi-Factor Authentication

We understand the fact that passwords, PINs, and MFA can be a nuisance. But the amount of time spent recovering from a successful attack or stolen device can greatly outweigh the entire sum of extra time spent entering a PIN on your device. Keeping devices locked can greatly reduce the risks associated with a stolen device. Equally important is keeping your accounts secured with Multi-Factor Authentication. Your phone will generally be your “second factor,” so keep it safe.

Keep Your Phone Up to Date

Patches, patches, patches. Keeping a device patch can generally feel like an endless battle with slow downloads and inconvenient restarts. However, the reason patches are deployed is generally to fix bugs that can lead to massive security risks. Keeping a device updated reduces the chances of falling victim to an attack by a staggering amount. Check your app stores and system settings for updates on a regular basis to stay ahead of the attackers.

Learn How to Detect Phishing

Awareness is the best prevention. Phishing will likely be the most drastic threat faced by most mobile device users. When a company or personal email receives a phishing attack, there are a few signs that you can look for in order to reduce your chances of falling victim. Check that you are familiar with the contact and sender – if the address doesn’t look right, it probably isn’t right. Look for typos or grammar mistakes within the emails as these are very common in phishing. Most importantly – never click a link or reply to an email without taking the time to verify the details surrounding the email. Security awareness training is available through a huge variety of sources – look into phishing awareness to help prevent yourself from falling victim to this extremely common attack.

Mobile devices are powerful tools that have enabled drastically improved productivity within organizations. With proper usage and dedicated cybersecurity awareness, these devices can be a safe and efficient tool. Practice proper cybersecurity hygiene and avoid taking shortcuts when utilizing your phone.


We are pleased to share this guest post from Scarlett Cybersecurity, a Florida-based leading cybersecurity provider whose mission is to simplify cybersecurity for organizations of all sizes. To learn more about Scarlett Cybersecurity, visit www.scarlettcybersecurity.com.

Staying Secure on Mobile Devices2022-10-27T11:06:04-04:00

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