The personal data of millions of LAUSD students has been put up for sale on a hacking forum after a cyber attack.
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British authorities have arrested two people in connection with a major Smishing campaign that used a homemade mobile antenna to send phishing SMS messages en masse.
The investigation was carried out by the UK’s Card and Payment Crime Unit (DCPCU) in collaboration with telecoms operators, the UK’s communications watchdog Ofcom and the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC). According to authorities, the suspects used a home-made mobile antenna to send thousands of phishing SMS messages that imitated messages from banks and other official organizations. These messages allowed criminals to bypass security measures put in place by mobile networks to block suspicious text messages.
One of the suspects, Huayong Xu, 32, remains in custody, while the other has been released on bail. Authorities urged UK citizens to report suspicious text messages by forwarding them free of charge to 7726, which allows mobile operators to investigate and block the sender. SMS blasters allow organizations to deliver important information to many people, but they become illegal when used to send unwanted messages or for malicious purposes, such as spreading malware. The illegal SMS blaster used in this fraud scheme allowed the attackers to bypass mobile network security measures.
DCPCU chief David Wint said criminals are becoming more inventive and working in more sophisticated ways to deceive the public and steal whatever they can. Cooperation with partners is vital to prevent such scams.
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