in

Ukrainian Security Service arrests hackers behind Apple’s phishing scheme

According to AppleInsider reports, the Ukrainian Security Service (SSU) has arrested five people who are believed to have participated in the international “Phoenix” hacker organization and used cloned Apple support websites to carry out phishing attacks.

Ukrainian Security Service arrests hackers behind Apple's phishing scheme

The Ukrainian Security Service pointed out that the suspects lived in Kiev or Kharkov, and all five were graduates of the Higher Technical Education Institute. Since then, the police seized computer equipment, mobile phones, software and hardware believed to be used by the organization.

The “Phoenix” hacker group is good at gaining remote control of mobile devices through phishing attacks. The organization directed users to phishing sites that cloned official Apple and Samsung support sites.

According to BleepingComputer, the program lasted for at least two years, and hackers managed to obtain accounts of hundreds of people. The “Phoenix” organization also provides remote mobile phone hacking services to individuals, charging between US$100 and US$200.

Investigators also discovered that hackers have been unlocking stolen or lost devices produced by Apple. After unlocking, the gang sold these devices to unsuspecting customers.

The Ukrainian Security Service believes that the five persons arrested include all personnel of the “Phoenix” organization, but plans to continue the investigation to find any remaining accomplices.

The “Phoenix” organization is now facing charges related to Article 361 of the Ukrainian Criminal Code, which focuses on illegally interfering with the work of electronic computers, systems and computer networks.

In August, a hacker known for data breaches allegedly obtained several gigabytes of AT&T customer information, including social security numbers. The hacker, known as “ShinyHunters,” asked for $1 million to take the data offline. AT&T denies that this information comes from their servers.

In the same month, T-Mobile realized that its servers had been compromised, causing the data of more than 100 million customers to be sold on hacker forums.

Share this: