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Feds are hunting teenage hackers
Fortune· 2026-01-01 11:27
Core Insights - The article discusses the rise of a criminal organization known as "The Com," which recruits young individuals, primarily teenagers, to conduct ransomware attacks against major corporations, exploiting their technical skills and naivety [3][4][19]. Recruitment and Operations - The Com prioritizes female candidates and offers training for inexperienced individuals, with compensation of $300 per successful call, paid in cryptocurrency [2][19]. - The organization has infiltrated U.S. and UK companies with a combined market cap exceeding $1 trillion, targeting around 120 companies, including well-known brands like Nike and Louis Vuitton [3][4]. Tactics and Techniques - The Com employs sophisticated social engineering tactics, utilizing platforms like LinkedIn and Slack to gather information about employees and corporate structures [7][10]. - Members of the group often mimic legitimate help desk calls to extract sensitive information from employees, exploiting the asymmetry in authentication processes [11][20]. Youth Involvement and Risks - Many of the young recruits are unaware of the severe legal consequences, with some facing federal charges and significant prison sentences for their involvement [4][17]. - The article highlights that the recruitment often begins in gaming communities, where young individuals are groomed for cybercrime [15][23]. Gender Dynamics - The organization has seen an increase in female participation, which is strategically leveraged for social engineering due to societal biases that underestimate women [19][22]. - Despite the growing number of female recruits, the leadership remains predominantly male, and women are often not given opportunities for advancement within the organization [22]. Parental Awareness and Cybersecurity - Parents often remain unaware of their children's involvement in cybercrime until law enforcement intervenes, highlighting a gap in monitoring online behavior [6][26]. - The complexity of online crimes makes it difficult for parents to recognize warning signs, necessitating a more proactive approach to cybersecurity at home [25][26].
X @MetaMask.eth 🦊
MetaMask.eth 🦊· 2025-12-13 21:32
RT Tay 💖 (@tayvano_)🚨 WARNING (AGAIN)DPRK threat actors are still rekting way too many of you via their fake Zoom / fake Teams meets.They're taking over your Telegrams -> using them to rekt all your friends.They've stolen over $300m via this method already.Read this. Stop the cycle. 🙏 https://t.co/tJTo9lkq0v ...
X @Elon Musk
Elon Musk· 2025-11-25 20:57
RT Gad Saad (@GadSaad)This happens because aggressive and violent men are only restrained by other potentially aggressive and violent men. However, the West has engaged in a 50+ years social engineering experiment wherein they have ideologically castrated their men. Hence, only one outcome can take place. This story is a manifestation of that reality.Read The Parasitic Mind & Suicidal Empathy (when it is released). ...
X @Binance
Binance· 2025-11-18 02:00
Think before you clickSimple habits to outsmart social engineers.Read more 👇https://t.co/UgYSe4d2J0 ...
X @CoinDesk
CoinDesk· 2025-10-28 01:00
🚨ALERT: Be aware that there are individuals using the CoinDesk name and posing as staff members in an attempt to carry out social engineering or phishing scams.If you receive a direct message (DM) or email from someone claiming to be from CoinDesk—on Twitter, Telegram, Discord, LinkedIn, Facebook, or any other platform—and you don’t personally know them, please verify their employment by checking our official masthead or LinkedIn page.https://t.co/j8oxGCAOyv ...
Beyond phishing: Cyber threats in the age of AI with Four Flynn (pt. 1)
Google DeepMind· 2025-10-09 18:27
Social engineering, cyberattacks, and the fog of war - all topics covered in this interview with the VP of Security and Privacy at Google DeepMind. Hannah Fry and Four Flynn take us behind the scenes of Operation Aurora, the monumental 2009 attack on Google that forever changed the landscape of cybersecurity. They discuss the defender's dilemma, the constant battle between attackers and defenders in the digital world, and how AI can potentially help mitigate some of the most complex vulnerabilities. As Hann ...
X @aixbt
aixbt· 2025-09-26 11:27
griffin ai lost $3m to phishing in 24 hours after raising $3.24m over 7 months. team fell for basic social engineering, misconfigured layerzero bridge let attackers mint 5 billion tokens. 91.58% held by one wallet. binance alpha listed it anyway. ai agents are security theater with tokens attached ...
What If Your Phone Could Detect a Scam Before You Do? | Shouvik Mukherjee | TEDxBangalore
TEDx Talks· 2025-09-11 15:55
[Music] [Music] You are under house arrest. So you saw that. Now imagine you are home alone. A video call flashes on your screen. The man looks official. He knows your full name, your identification number, even your bank. He says, "Your identity has been misused. A case is filed and unless you cooperate, you will be arrested. Your hands tumble.You follow instructions and within minutes your account is empty. This isn't science fiction. This is real. This is called social engineering.A terrifying manipulati ...
X @Cointelegraph
Cointelegraph· 2025-08-21 19:30
Security Incident - A victim lost 783 BTC, equivalent to $914 million, in a social engineering scam [1] - The scam involved impersonating exchange and wallet support [1] - Stolen funds are being laundered through Wasabi [1]
X @The Block
The Block· 2025-08-21 09:44
Security Incident - A scammer impersonating a UK police officer stole $2.8 million in Bitcoin [1] - The theft was executed via social engineering [1]