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'Several dozen' high-value corporations hit by new extortion crew in helpdesk phishing spree

Google Threat Intelligence researchers have identified a new extortion group, tracked as UNC6783, targeting dozens of major corporations through sophisticated helpdesk social engineering and credential-harvesting phishing campaigns.

Key Points

  • Google identified the threat actor UNC6783, which targets call centers and business process outsourcers to gain unauthorized access to larger corporate IT environments.
  • Attackers use spoofed Okta login pages and custom phishing kits designed to bypass multi-factor authentication by stealing session data.
  • The group employs social engineering via live chat and fake security software updates to deploy remote access malware on employee devices.
  • Researchers suspect a potential link between UNC6783 and the "Mr. Raccoon" persona, who recently claimed responsibility for a significant data breach at Adobe.
  • Stolen data is leveraged for extortion, with the group delivering ransom demands to victims via encrypted Proton Mail accounts.

Why it Matters

This campaign highlights the growing vulnerability of third-party business process outsourcers as a primary entry point for attackers targeting larger enterprises. By compromising helpdesk staff, these criminals can bypass traditional security perimeters and gain persistent access to sensitive corporate data.
Theregister.com Published by Jessica Lyons
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