Amid the growing threat of info stealers and phishers within the Asia-Pacific region, the Philippines sees itself as among the most targeted, causing a major concern among experts.
Per intelligence firm Cyberint, the Philippines ranks third in the category, which involves a special type of malware with over 500,000 known cases.
Cyberint Threat Intelligence Lead Adrianne Chester Camat disclosed how info stealers work via a study, describing it as a case of harvesting sensitive data from a vulnerable computer or server and then sending the gathered data to attackers.
The malware, he added, provides illicit access to sensitive information such as personal info, financial info, offline wallets, credentials, website cookies, as well as the computer’s file structure.
- How the “I’m not a robot” CAPTCHA test actually works
- Why you should consider using password managers
- Getting unrequested verification codes? Your accounts might be in danger
Adding a nuance between info stealer families and legitimate companies, Camat said that the former operates similarly in that they are “complete with a CEO, support staff, technical staff, research and development, and so on”.
Within the APAC region, the top families include RedLine (51.4%), Aurora (39%), and Raccoon (9.52%), the study claims.
In addition to the rise in hacking, the Philippines also saw a proliferation of social media impersonators with an eye for the comments section of institution pages online. That is, eyeing for unsuspicious victims to click on malicious links after masquerading as legit representatives of banks.
While Camat does not believe that the scheme will stop considering how profitable it is to the schemers, he suggests taking an active measure against bad actors. That is, by having an eye out for likely “signs of impersonation” on social media.