Wall Street’s biggest private equity firms are the latest targets of a cybercrime campaign that relies on a simple tactic: convincing employees to hand over their own passwords.
Blackstone Inc. (NYSE:BX), Apollo Global Management Inc. (NYSE:APO), KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR) and other major financial firms were targeted in the campaign, Reuters reported.
Hackers used phone-based impersonation tactics and fake login pages designed to steal employee credentials.
Google’s Threat Intelligence Group said some victims have paid ransoms, although Reuters was unable to verify which companies were compromised.
Who Are The Perps?
Google said the threat actors have operated under multiple names, including Redact, Pink, Falcon and Helix.
The attackers relied on a social engineering strategy known as "vishing," calling employees on personal phones while pretending to be internal IT staff. Victims were then directed to fake websites designed to capture passwords and multifactor authentication codes.
Google principal threat analyst Austin Larsen said the campaign appears financially motivated, telling Reuters, "Really, it’s a money thing." Larsen said the attacks should not necessarily be viewed as highly advanced, adding, "Sophisticated is not the right word. It is just really effective."
Reuters analyzed 72 malicious websites identified by Google using tools including DomainTools and urlscan, uncovering firm-specific domains created to mimic legitimate company login pages. Larsen said the sites "all were likely used in attempted intrusions," though not every attack succeeded.
Reuters reported that Point72 Asset Management notified investors it had been targeted, while hedge funds including Two Sigma Investments and Citadel were also identified as potential targets.
CME Group, Moody’s, TPG, Bain Capital and Bridgewater Associates were also targeted.
The data reviewed by Reuters also showed phishing traps were linked to more than 200 organizations over roughly five weeks, including Uber, Zillow, Levi Strauss and law firms such as Paul Hastings and Greenberg Traurig.
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