Leading digital platforms are on alert after Google’s Threat Analysis team managed to uncover a tool that is used by hackers to download complete email inboxes.
The group unveiled how popular platforms that could be targeted include the likes of Gmail, Yahoo Mail, and Microsoft Outlook. This particular tool in question was dubbed HYPERSCAPE and so far it has been successful at targets that are yet to be outlined.
Google says that hackers are aligning with state-sponsored threat groups and are grabbing a hold of emails located inside inboxes. And thankfully, Google’s security team managed to obtain one version of the tool.
At the moment, the team is working hard and running trials and simulations to witness how dangerous the entire ordeal really is. But so far, they have seen how it has the ability to work on endpoints held by attackers.
This means vulnerable victims don’t even need to be fooled by the threatening malware for it to do its job correctly. But still, they require sensitive credentials and cookies belonging to victims to log in. Once they enter, they can use the tool with ease.
Researchers feel the tool works in a manner that tricks the platform into assuming the user is making use of outdated platforms. On that note, the email service feels they can do a better job by switching over to the HTML format. And while the new view has limited features, it makes sure all emails are going to be within easy reach.
Once the tool manages to allow the email service to undergo a switch to a more basic HTML version, it alters the language found inside inboxes to English. That is how the tool begins its mechanism of action which is scraping.
One by one, it opens up emails and starts downloading them into a particular format. At the moment, the target user base is Iran but many fear it won’t take long for others to acquire it.
Read next: Binance Faces Spam Crisis As Thousands Falsely Claim To Be Working For The Firm On LinkedIn
The group unveiled how popular platforms that could be targeted include the likes of Gmail, Yahoo Mail, and Microsoft Outlook. This particular tool in question was dubbed HYPERSCAPE and so far it has been successful at targets that are yet to be outlined.
Google says that hackers are aligning with state-sponsored threat groups and are grabbing a hold of emails located inside inboxes. And thankfully, Google’s security team managed to obtain one version of the tool.
At the moment, the team is working hard and running trials and simulations to witness how dangerous the entire ordeal really is. But so far, they have seen how it has the ability to work on endpoints held by attackers.
This means vulnerable victims don’t even need to be fooled by the threatening malware for it to do its job correctly. But still, they require sensitive credentials and cookies belonging to victims to log in. Once they enter, they can use the tool with ease.
Researchers feel the tool works in a manner that tricks the platform into assuming the user is making use of outdated platforms. On that note, the email service feels they can do a better job by switching over to the HTML format. And while the new view has limited features, it makes sure all emails are going to be within easy reach.
Once the tool manages to allow the email service to undergo a switch to a more basic HTML version, it alters the language found inside inboxes to English. That is how the tool begins its mechanism of action which is scraping.
One by one, it opens up emails and starts downloading them into a particular format. At the moment, the target user base is Iran but many fear it won’t take long for others to acquire it.
Read next: Binance Faces Spam Crisis As Thousands Falsely Claim To Be Working For The Firm On LinkedIn
