A comprehensive analysis of 46 deep-web hacker forums and over 26,000 threat actors’ forum threads has revealed alarming trends in cyber threats specifically targeting the financial services industry. The most significant development of 2024 has been the rise of “OTP (One-Time Password) bots” – underground services operated via Telegram that enable threat actors to automate social engineering attacks. This evolution in attack methodology represents a fundamental shift in how financial organizations must approach cybersecurity, requiring a move from traditional defensive postures to more proactive threat intelligence gathering from deep and dark web platforms. This decentralization of cybercrime has reached unprecedented levels, with threat actor forums facilitating complete separation between attack developers and executors, making attribution and law enforcement intervention increasingly challenging. Cyber Security News is a Dedicated News Platform For Cyber News, Cyber Attack News, Hacking News & Vulnerability Analysis. The content analysis showed a distinct division in the ecosystem, with developers targeting both individual threat actors and more sophisticated APT groups. Perhaps most concerning is the democratization of attack capabilities, with virtually anyone possessing basic technical knowledge now able to launch sophisticated attacks against financial organizations. The cybersecurity landscape is experiencing a significant transformation as threat actors adopt increasingly sophisticated approaches to bypass security measures. For example, Mystic Stealer provides specialized functionality to extract passwords from Outlook, a common application in corporate environments, indicating a strategic focus on financial institutions. This extensive research, conducted throughout 2024, provides unprecedented insights into the evolving tactics, techniques, and procedures employed by cybercriminals seeking to compromise financial institutions. When login attempts fail due to two-factor authentication requirements, the attackers target these accounts using OTP bots that impersonate legitimate entities through pre-recorded or AI-generated voice calls and SMS messages. According to forum advertisements, at least 38 different OTP bot services are currently available, priced between $10 and $50 per attack, with mentions increasing by 31% between 2023 and 2024. With years of experience under his belt in Cyber Security, he is covering Cyber Security News, technology and other news. Their analysis revealed that infostealer developers are increasingly offering tailored solutions with dedicated features specifically designed to target corporate accounts. The threat actors then retrieve the 2FA code, change the password and associated phone number, effectively locking out the legitimate account holder.
This Cyber News was published on cybersecuritynews.com. Publication date: Tue, 08 Apr 2025 15:25:13 +0000