Microsoft Now Takes Control of 99 Websites that Used for Hacking Operations by APT 35 Hackers

A result of cyberwar between Microsoft and the APT 35 hackers group, now Microsoft authorized to seize 99 illegal domains that operated by the APT 35 For various illegal hacking operations.

Microsoft won the court case that filled in the U.S. District Court for Washington D.C against the APT group 35 also known as Phosphorus and granted an order by the court to take down all the 99 websites.

APT 35 or Charming Kitten is a well-known Iranian cybercrime group that performing the various illegal hacking operation using various domains which was continuously tracking since 2013 by Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center (MSTIC).

Since the court has given the complete permission on last week, Microsoft has taken the complete control of 99 websites the group uses to conduct its hacking operations.

All these domains were misused under the names of well-known brands, like Microsoft and other related domain such as outlook-verify.net, yahoo-verify.net, verification-live.com, and myaccount-services.net.

APT 35 mainly used these illegal domains for various sophisticated cyber crimes, and it’s specifically designed to gain access to the computer systems of businesses and government agencies and steal sensitive information.

Now All The 99 Domains are Under Microsoft Control

Microsoft now takes complete control of all the 99 domains that was used for various malicious hacking operations and all these domains traffic has been redirected from infected devices to Microsoft Digital Crime Unit’s sinkhole.

A sinkhole is basically a way of redirecting malicious Internet traffic so that it can be captured and analyzed by security analysts.

In this case, all the intelligence collected from this sinkhole will be added to MSTIC’s existing knowledge of Phosphorus and shared with Microsoft security products and services to protect customers in the future.

According to Microsoft, “Phosphorus also uses these domains and a technique whereby it sends people an email that makes it seem as if there’s a security risk to their accounts, prompting them to enter their credentials into a web form that enables the group to capture their passwords and gain access to their systems.”

Throughout the course of tracking Phosphorus, we’ve worked closely with a number of other technology companies, including Yahoo, to share threat information and jointly stop attacks. We are grateful for their partnership, Microsoft said.

Learn: A complete Certified Cyber Threat Intelligence Analyst
Online course

Also Read:

Microsoft Released Security Updates that Fixes 64 Vulnerabilities Including 2 Active Zero-day Flaw

Microsoft Advises Users to Stop Using Internet Explorer Browser

For the First Time, Cryptojacking Apps is Found on Microsoft Store

Balaji

BALAJI is an Ex-Security Researcher (Threat Research Labs) at Comodo Cybersecurity. Editor-in-Chief & Co-Founder - Cyber Security News & GBHackers On Security.

Recent Posts

Beware Of Weaponized Air Force invitation PDF Targeting Indian Defense And Energy Sectors

EclecticIQ cybersecurity researchers have uncovered a cyberespionage operation dubbed "Operation FlightNight" targeting Indian government entities and energy companies.  The attackers,…

3 hours ago

WarzoneRAT Returns Post FBI Seizure: Utilizing LNK & HTA File

The notorious WarzoneRAT malware has made a comeback, despite the FBI's recent efforts to dismantle its operations. Initially detected in…

3 hours ago

Google Revealed Kernel Address Sanitizer To Harden Android Firmware And Beyond

Android devices are popular among hackers due to the platform’s extensive acceptance and open-source nature. However, it has a big…

3 hours ago

Compromised SaaS Supply Chain Apps: 97% of Organizations at Risk of Cyber Attacks

Businesses increasingly rely on Software as a Service (SaaS) applications to drive efficiency, innovation, and growth. However, this shift towards…

3 hours ago

IT and security Leaders Feel Ill-Equipped to Handle Emerging Threats: New Survey

A comprehensive survey conducted by Keeper Security, in partnership with TrendCandy Research, has shed light on the growing concerns within…

7 hours ago

How to Analyse .NET Malware? – Reverse Engineering Snake Keylogger

Utilizing sandbox analysis for behavioral, network, and process examination provides a foundation for reverse engineering .NET malware.  The write-up outlines…

8 hours ago