By Ashwani Mishra, Editor-Technology, 63SATS
India has frozen 4.5 lakh “mule” accounts across major banks, underscoring the nation’s crackdown on cybercrime laundering operations, while global cybersecurity concerns intensify as the Five Eyes alliance warns of a spike in zero-day exploits targeting vulnerabilities in systems like Citrix and Cisco. Meanwhile, the MOVEit cyberattack continues to reverberate, affecting Amazon’s employee data through a third-party breach, as retail giants like Hot Topic face data leaks, China-linked hackers target Tibetan websites, and a sophisticated ZIP file manipulation method evades Windows security to deliver hidden malware.
Stay tuned more global updates with 63SATS’ Global Cyber Pulse.
India Freezes 4.5 Lakh ‘Mule Accounts’ in Cybercrime Crackdown
The Indian government has frozen around 450,000 “mule” bank accounts linked to cybercrime laundering in the past year.
These accounts, primarily found in major banks like SBI, PNB, and Airtel Payments Bank, were discussed in a recent meeting between the PMO and the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), raising concerns over the ease of fraudulent withdrawals via these accounts.
Five Eyes Alliance Warns of Escalating Zero-Day Exploits in Cyber Attack
Intelligence agencies from the Five Eyes alliance warn of an alarming rise in zero-day vulnerability exploits by hackers.
The advisory highlights 2023’s top exploited vulnerabilities, including flaws in Citrix, Cisco, and Fortinet, marking a shift as most attacks now target zero-day weaknesses.
MOVEit Cyberattack: Amazon Confirms Employee Data Breach via Third-Party
The widespread MOVEit cyberattack continues to impact organizations, with Amazon confirming leaked employee data through a third-party vendor.
Exposed data includes work contact details, underscoring the ongoing risks associated with third-party breaches even months after the initial attack.
Hot Topic Data Breach Exposes Nearly 57 Million Customer Account
Retail giant Hot Topic experienced a data breach, exposing sensitive information of 56.9 million customers.
Details compromised include full names, emails, phone numbers, and partial credit card data. This breach also affects customers of affiliated brands Box Lunch and Torrid.
China-Linked Hackers Target Tibetan Websites to Spread Cobalt Strike Malwar
Researchers have linked recent attacks on Tibetan media and university websites to a China-based hacker group, TAG-112.
This group compromised sites like Tibet Post to distribute Cobalt Strike malware, aiming to gather intelligence on the Tibetan community for Beijing.
Hackers Use ZIP File Manipulation to Evade Detection on Windows Device
Cybercriminals are employing ZIP file concatenation techniques to bypass security on Windows systems, delivering malware disguised in compressed files.
This method was identified by Perception Point, which found that attackers used a fake shipping notice to lure victims into downloading malicious software.
