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Phishing-as-a-Service Operation Exploits Expired Domains on Google Cloud and Cloudflare

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Last updated
📰 1 unique sources, 1 articles

Summary

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A multi-year, industrial-scale phishing and brand impersonation scheme operated undetected for over three years on Google Cloud and Cloudflare platforms. The operation involved 48,000 hosts and 80 clusters, using expired domains to impersonate high-profile brands and deliver malware and gambling content. The scheme exposed companies to regulatory and legal risks, and victims to credential theft and data exposure. The campaign was discovered by Deep Specter Research, who found that the operation used cloaking techniques to manipulate search engine rankings and hide illicit content. The infrastructure included 86 physical IP addresses hosted on Google Cloud in Hong Kong and Taiwan, along with 44,000 virtual IP addresses from Google Cloud and 4,000 from other providers. The operation targeted 200 known organizations, including Fortune 500 companies. The scheme highlights the risks of expired domains and the need for companies to actively monitor and secure their digital assets.

Timeline

  1. 04.09.2025 23:05 📰 1 articles · ⏱ 12d ago

    Discovery of Phishing-as-a-Service Operation on Google Cloud and Cloudflare

    A multi-year, industrial-scale phishing and brand impersonation scheme was discovered to have operated undetected for over three years on Google Cloud and Cloudflare platforms. The operation involved 48,000 hosts and 80 clusters, using expired domains to impersonate high-profile brands and deliver malware and gambling content. The scheme exposed companies to regulatory and legal risks, and victims to credential theft and data exposure. The campaign was discovered by Deep Specter Research, who found that the operation used cloaking techniques to manipulate search engine rankings and hide illicit content. The infrastructure included 86 physical IP addresses hosted on Google Cloud in Hong Kong and Taiwan, along with 44,000 virtual IP addresses from Google Cloud and 4,000 from other providers. The operation targeted 200 known organizations, including Fortune 500 companies.

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Information Snippets

  • The phishing operation used 48,000 hosts and 80 clusters to impersonate high-profile brands.

    First reported: 04.09.2025 23:05
    📰 1 source, 1 article
    Show sources
  • The scheme involved cloaking techniques to manipulate search engine rankings and hide illicit content.

    First reported: 04.09.2025 23:05
    📰 1 source, 1 article
    Show sources
  • The infrastructure included 86 physical IP addresses hosted on Google Cloud in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

    First reported: 04.09.2025 23:05
    📰 1 source, 1 article
    Show sources
  • The operation targeted 200 known organizations, including Fortune 500 companies.

    First reported: 04.09.2025 23:05
    📰 1 source, 1 article
    Show sources
  • The phishing operation delivered malware and gambling content, exposing victims to credential theft and data exposure.

    First reported: 04.09.2025 23:05
    📰 1 source, 1 article
    Show sources
  • The scheme operated undetected for over three years, highlighting the risks of expired domains.

    First reported: 04.09.2025 23:05
    📰 1 source, 1 article
    Show sources

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