Researchers have uncovered a new phishing kit named “Xiū gǒu” that has been actively deployed since September 2024 in campaigns across Australia, Japan, Spain, the U.K., and the U.S.
This phishing tool, identified by Netcraft, has facilitated over 2,000 phishing websites targeting multiple sectors, including public services, banking, and digital services.
By leveraging Cloudflare’s anti-bot and hosting obfuscation capabilities, attackers using Xiū gǒu can bypass common security checks, making it difficult for security teams to detect the fraudulent sites quickly.
Developed by a Chinese-speaking threat actor, Xiū gǒu uses technologies like Golang and Vue.js and includes an admin panel to manage operations. The kit is designed to capture user credentials from fake pages hosted on the “.top” domain, sending this data to attackers via Telegram.
Attackers deploy these phishing schemes through Rich Communications Services (RCS) messages, with lures that mimic parking fines and package delivery failures. Victims are instructed to click on shortened URLs, leading them to phishing pages where they unknowingly submit personal information or make payments, thinking they are resolving legitimate issues. The adoption of RCS messages, available through Apple and Google Messages, has enhanced attackers’ reach with file-sharing and typing indicators.
Google has responded by implementing enhanced protections, using on-device machine learning to detect potential scams and filter out fraudulent messages, especially those related to package deliveries.
In some regions like India, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore, Google has piloted additional features, including security warnings for messages from unknown senders with suspicious links, with plans to expand these protections globally.
In parallel, other phishing campaigns are targeting Facebook advertising accounts in Taiwan, as Cisco Talos has found, with threat actors using phishing emails to deliver stealer malware, such as Lumma or Rhadamanthys.
These campaigns often impersonate legal departments, urging recipients to download fake PDF files with embedded malware. Additionally, businesses worldwide have been targeted with phishing emails impersonating OpenAI, urging them to update payment details, evading detection by using obfuscated links.
As phishing campaigns grow more sophisticated, cybersecurity defenses are under pressure to evolve, while users remain advised to approach unfamiliar communications with heightened caution.
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