Tech News
Back to home
Technology

Cyber firm warns that hackers are teaming up with crime rings to hijack cargo — phishing emails and social engineering deployed to steal physical shipments

Source

Tom's Hardware

Published

TL;DR

AI Generated

Hackers are collaborating with organized crime rings to steal physical shipments by posing as brokers or carriers, deploying malware, and rerouting freight, according to cybersecurity firm Proofpoint. They target freight brokers and trucking carriers with phishing emails and social engineering tactics to manipulate shipment details. Proofpoint has observed nearly two dozen campaigns in the last two months involving at least three criminal groups, describing it as a "marriage of cybercrime and organized crime." Cargo theft in the U.S. is on the rise, with losses estimated at $35 billion annually, and the origin of these threat actors remains unclear.

Read Full Article

Similar Articles

Mobile SMS blasters in vehicles prowled Canadian streets, causing 13 million network disruptions and infiltrating tens of thousands of devices — blaster blocked 911 calls, stole cellphone data

Mobile SMS blasters in vehicles prowled Canadian streets, causing 13 million network disruptions and infiltrating tens of thousands of devices — blaster blocked 911 calls, stole cellphone data

Toronto police arrested three individuals running a mobile SMS blaster scheme in downtown Toronto, which caused 13 million network disruptions and infiltrated tens of thousands of devices. The SMS blasters blocked 911 calls and stole cellphone data by impersonating cell towers and sending fraudulent texts. The operation was the first of its kind in Canada and has since been dismantled, but authorities warn of continued vigilance against fraudulent texts. The devices used in the scheme were uniquely built and not publicly shared for safety reasons, and similar operations have been reported in other countries like the Philippines.

Tom's Hardware•
Ransomware negotiator pleads guilty after leaking victims' insurance details to 'BlackCat' hackers — perp gave attackers a precise picture of exactly how much each target could afford to pay

Ransomware negotiator pleads guilty after leaking victims' insurance details to 'BlackCat' hackers — perp gave attackers a precise picture of exactly how much each target could afford to pay

Former ransomware negotiator Angelo Martino has pleaded guilty to collaborating with the ALPHV/BlackCat ransomware gang to extort five U.S. companies, providing confidential details about the victims' insurance policies and negotiation perceptions. Martino's actions led to over $75 million in ransom payments, with individual payments exceeding $25 million. He also participated in deploying BlackCat ransomware against additional U.S. victims, demanding over $16 million in ransom. Law enforcement has seized more than $10 million from Martino, including cryptocurrency and various assets purchased with illicit proceeds. Martino, along with his co-conspirators, faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, with sentencing scheduled for July 9th.

Tom's Hardware•
Techie buys fake Ledger Nano S+ hardware crypto wallet and almost falls for phishing — a convincing clone would have caught newbies unaware

Techie buys fake Ledger Nano S+ hardware crypto wallet and almost falls for phishing — a convincing clone would have caught newbies unaware

Brazilian cybersecurity professional Joje Mendes nearly fell victim to a sophisticated hardware-and-software phishing attack involving a fake Ledger Nano S+ cryptocurrency wallet purchased from a Chinese marketplace. Despite the device being priced similarly to a legitimate one, Mendes discovered it was a counterfeit upon arrival, thanks to Ledger's software verification. Upon dissecting the device, Mendes found it contained an ESP32-S3 SoC and was designed to harvest data through a fake Ledger app, leading unsuspecting users to a malicious website for downloading harmful apps. Mendes reported the incident to Ledger and plans to investigate further, emphasizing the importance of purchasing security devices directly from manufacturers or authorized sellers.

Tom's Hardware•
Two US citizens get combined 16 years in prison for running North Korean laptop farms — fake remote IT work scheme netted DPRK $5 million in around three years

Two US citizens get combined 16 years in prison for running North Korean laptop farms — fake remote IT work scheme netted DPRK $5 million in around three years

Two individuals from New Jersey have been sentenced to a combined 16 years in prison for operating laptop farms that enabled North Korean IT workers to pose as Americans and work for U.S. companies, generating around $5 million for North Korea over three years. Kejia Wang and Zhenxing Wang were found guilty of wire fraud and money laundering, with Kejia serving as the U.S.-based manager of the operation. The scheme involved stealing the identities of over 80 U.S. individuals to secure positions in over 100 U.S. companies, resulting in significant financial losses for the affected businesses. The Justice Department has been cracking down on similar operations, uncovering 29 laptop farms across 16 states in mid-2025 and convicting five other individuals involved in such schemes.

Tom's Hardware•

We use cookies

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. For more information on how we use cookies, please see our cookie policy.