Tag Archive for: search

News Updates: ED seizes RS 78 cr from search operations in respect to Chinese Loan App Case

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Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has carried out search operations under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 on 19.10.2022 at 05 premises in Bengaluru, in respect to an investigation relating to the Chinese Loan App Case.

The case is based on 18 FIRs registered by Cyber Crime Police Station, Bengaluru City against numerous entities/persons in connection with their involvement in extortion and harassment of the public who had availed small amounts of loans through the mobile apps being run by these entities/persons.

During PMLA investigation, it has emerged that these entities are controlled/operated by Chinese Nationals. The modus operandi of these entities is using forged documents of Indians and making these Indinas dummy directors of those entities and generating proceeds of crime. It has come to notice that the said entities were doing their suspected/illegal business through various Merchant IDs/Accounts held with Payment Gateways/banks.

Based on the investigation conducted and inputs received from the Central Crime Branch, Bengaluru city, the search operation was carried out in this case. The premises of Razorpay Pvt Ltd and the Bank’s compliance offices related to these entities were covered in the search operation. During the search operation, it was noticed that the said entities were generating proceeds of crime through various Merchant IDs/Accounts held with Payment Gateways/banks and they have submitted fake addresses in KYC documents.

An amount of Rs 78 Crore has been seized u/s 17(1) in merchant IDs and bank accounts of these Chinese persons-controlled entities. Total seizure, in this case, now stands is Rs 95 Crore.

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British minister Penny Mordaunt announces bid to be next UK PM

British minister Penny Mordaunt on Friday launched her bid to replace Liz Truss as prime minister, becoming the first Conservative lawmaker to announce they are running. Mordaunt, 49, has navigated the tenures of the four prime ministers she has served under, keeping her distance from Boris Johnson’s scandal-ridden time in power and staying in cabinet under Theresa May to make her support for Brexit…

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Monero Mining Malware Finds Success at Top of Google Search

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  • Nitrokod is currently featured at the top of Google search results for popular apps, including Translate
  • The malware maliciously mines monero using users’ computer resources, echoing once-prolific CoinHive

An insidious malware campaign targeting users searching for Google applications has infected thousands of computers globally to mine privacy-focused crypto monero (XMR).

You’ve probably never heard of Nitrokod. Israeli-based cyber intelligence firm Check Point Research (CPR) stumbled upon the malware last month. 

In a report on Sunday, the firm said Nitrokod initially masks itself as a free software, having found remarkable success at the top of Google search results for “Google Translate desktop download.”

Also known as cryptojacking, mining malware has been used to infiltrate unsuspecting user’s machines since at least 2017, when they rose to prominence alongside crypto’s popularity.

CPR previously detected well-known cryptojacking malware CoinHive, which also mined XMR, in November of that year. CoinHive was said to be stealing 65% of an end-user’s total CPU resources without their knowledge. Academics calculated the malware was generating $250,000 per month at its peak, with the bulk of it going to less than a dozen individuals.

As for Nitrokod, CPR believes it was deployed by a Turkish-speaking entity sometime in 2019. It operates across seven stages as it moves along its path to avoid detection from typical antivirus programs and system defenses. 

“The malware is easily dropped from software found on top Google search results for legitimate applications,” the firm wrote in its report.

Softpedia and Uptodown were found to be two major sources of fake applications. Blockworks has reached out to Google to learn more about how it filters these kinds of threats.

Image source: Check Point Research

After downloading the application, an installer executes a delayed dropper and continuously updates itself on every restart. On the fifth day, the delayed dropper extracts an encrypted file. 

The file then initiates Nitrokod’s final stages, which sets about scheduling tasks,…

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Pennsylvania a focus as FBI bolsters security over threats prompted by search of Trump’s home

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FBI offices across the country, including in Philadelphia, are on high alert in response to increasing threats to federal law enforcement officers following last week’s search of former President Donald Trump’s Florida estate.

The defensive posture comes after separate attacks carried out by two men with Pennsylvania ties in days since, including one who was convicted in a 2020 assault at a home owned by the Episcopal bishop of Bethlehem.

On Monday, federal authorities arrested a third man — a Mercer County photographer — for a series of threats he made on the right-wing social media platform Gab to slaughter FBI agents and “water the trees of liberty” with their blood.

» READ MORE: Pennsylvania man arrested for threatening to slaughter FBI agents and ‘water the trees of liberty’ with their blood

The escalation of similar incidents in recent days prompted the FBI and the Department of Homeland security to issue a joint intelligence bulletin Friday expressing concern about the volatile environment. It described what the agencies called as an “unprecedented” number of social media threats including calls for “civil war” and “armed rebellion.”

Among the specific threats cited was one to place a “dirty bomb” outside FBI headquarters in Washington as well as calls for the targeted killings of judicial and law enforcement officials connected with the Mar-a-Lago search.

The joint intelligence bulletin cited last week’s attempted breach of the FBI’s Cincinnati field office by Ricky W. Shiffer, who is believed to have made provocative posts on Truth Social, the social media platform founded by Trump, before showing up to the building armed with an AR-15 style rifle and a nail gun.

Shiffer, 42, grew up on a farm in Perry County, outside Harrisburg, and enlisted in the Navy soon after graduating from high school in 1998.

Public records show he did not return to the state after his Naval service and a stint in the Florida Army National Guard that saw him deployed during the Iraq War. He was living in Ohio in the months before last week’s attack.

Social media accounts bearing his name — including one on the Trump-founded site Truth Social — boasted of…

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New malware hack takes over your browser and search results

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Another dangerous hack is taking over browsers via Microsoft’s PowerShell programming. The malware is called ChromeLoader, and it’s the latest “malvertising” scheme that uses online advertising to attack your device.

While you may be used to dealing with ads, these ones could be much more dangerous than leading you to purchase items you don’t need.

Read on to learn about this scary new hack and how you can protect yourself.

 

ChromeLoader malware hack

How ChromeLoader gets on your device

Hackers are using QR codes to trick users into downloading a pirated video game or movie, sometimes via Twitter. However, the QR code actually leads to ChromeLoader’s download site, which is how the harmful software gets downloaded without you realizing it.

While the known methods have been via movies, video games, and Twitter thus far, QR codes, in general, pose massive threats so always be sure you know what you’re scanning.

 

How to tell if you’ve been hacked by ChromeLoader

The quickest way you’ll know if this malware has been installed on your computer is if you start noticing unusual search results showing up. The point of “malvertising” is for advertisements to trick you into allowing malware on your device. ChromeLoader will redirect the windows you have open towards pages that look like search results or advertisements that you wouldn’t have opened. Be sure to not click any of these fake ads or search results.

 

How to protect your device from ChromeLoader

Be sure to never try and watch movies, shows, or play games on websites you don’t recognize. If you’re being advertised a movie or expensive video game for free, there’s a higher chance you’ll be scammed instead of getting to see the latest hit out of Hollywood.

Always keep your operating systems and devices up to date. Updating your software makes it harder for hackers to get through.

But the only way to protect against malware including ChomeLoader is to install antivirus software. ChromeLoader has been researched for the past few months by cyberattack security companies so most antivirus programs are up to date on protecting against it.

As discussed in our Best Antivirus Security Software and Apps…

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