Axios and Microsoft Direct Send Abused in Advanced Phishing Campaigns

A fraudulent ad operation, SlopAds, has been identified, exploiting 224 Android apps to generate 2.3 billion ad bids daily. The apps, collectively downloaded 38 million times across 228 countries, use steganography and hidden WebViews to create fraudulent ad impressions and clicks. The operation was disrupted after Google removed the offending apps from the Play Store. The SlopAds campaign is notable for its sophisticated tactics, including conditional fraud execution and the use of AI-themed services for command and control. The fraudulent behavior is triggered only when apps are downloaded via ad clicks, making detection more challenging. The campaign's infrastructure includes multiple domains and a complex feedback loop designed to evade security researchers. The campaign's highest concentration of ad impressions originated from the United States (30%), followed by India (10%) and Brazil (7%).

A new FileFix social engineering campaign impersonates Meta account suspension warnings to trick users into installing the StealC infostealer malware. The attack uses steganography to hide malicious scripts and executables within a JPG image. The campaign targets various credentials, cryptocurrency wallets, and cloud services. The FileFix technique abuses the File Explorer address bar to execute PowerShell commands, bypassing traditional detection methods. The attack was discovered by Acronis and observed over a two-week period, with multiple variants using different payloads and domains. The StealC malware aims to steal sensitive information from infected devices, including browser credentials, messaging app data, and cryptocurrency wallets. The FileFix technique was created by red team researcher mr.d0x and has been previously used by the Interlock ransomware gang. The attack uses a multilingual phishing site to trick users into copying and pasting a malicious command into the File Explorer address bar. The campaign abuses Bitbucket repositories to host malicious components, leveraging trust in the platform to bypass detection. The FileFix campaign is the most widespread, customized, and sophisticated to date, targeting users in over 16 countries. The phishing site has been translated into at least 16 different languages. The attack chain involves a phishing email impersonating Facebook security, warning users of account suspension. The attack uses AI-generated images in the steganography process. The FileFix technique is more elegant and less suspicious than ClickFix, using File Explorer instead of the Run dialog. The FileFix attack offers a broader range of high-value targets due to its use of File Explorer. Security researcher Eliad Kimhy predicts an increase in FileFix attacks in the near future.

The FBI has issued an alert about two cybercriminal groups, UNC6040 and UNC6395, targeting Salesforce platforms for data theft and extortion. UNC6395 exploited compromised OAuth tokens for the Salesloft Drift application, while UNC6040 used vishing campaigns and modified Salesforce tools to breach Salesforce instances. Both groups have been active since at least October 2024, impacting multiple organizations. UNC6040 has been linked to extortion activities, with Google attributing these to a separate cluster, UNC6240, which has claimed to be the ShinyHunters group. The ShinyHunters group, along with Scattered Spider and LAPSUS$, recently announced they are going dark, but experts warn that the threat persists. UNC6040 impersonated corporate IT support personnel to gain access to Salesforce environments and used modified versions of Salesforce's Data Loader to exfiltrate data. Salesforce re-enabled integrations with Salesloft technologies, except for the Drift app, which remains disabled.

Threat actors are increasingly targeting web browsers as a primary attack vector. This shift is driven by the browser's central role in accessing sensitive data and cloud applications, making it an attractive target for credential theft and session hijacking. High-profile incidents, such as the Snowflake breach, underscore the need for enhanced browser security measures. The browser's role in accessing sensitive data and cloud applications makes it a prime target for attackers. The Snowflake breach, which exploited stolen credentials, highlights the risks associated with browser-based attacks. Experts emphasize the need for stronger browser security to mitigate these threats. Browser-based attacks include phishing for credentials and sessions, malicious copy & paste (ClickFix), malicious OAuth integrations, malicious browser extensions, malicious file delivery, and exploiting stolen credentials and MFA gaps. These attacks exploit the browser's role in accessing business applications and data, making it crucial for security teams to focus on browser security.

The Salty2FA phishing kit has evolved to incorporate enterprise-grade features, making it difficult to distinguish from legitimate software. The kit's advanced capabilities include subdomain rotation, abuse of legitimate platforms, dynamic corporate branding, MFA mimicry, and sophisticated defense evasion tactics. Ontinue researchers tracked a campaign using Salty2FA, observing its technical innovations and how it mimics legitimate enterprise systems. The campaign impersonated a known business using a trial account on Aha.io and deployed a OneDrive sharing page as the initial attack vector. The kit's infrastructure supports dynamic branding and advanced evasion techniques, making it challenging for security teams to detect and mitigate. The kit's advanced features include geo-blocking, ASN/IP filtering, and JavaScript-based anti-debugging, which hinder the efforts of security researchers and SOC teams. The Salty2FA phishing kit targets industries including finance, energy, healthcare, government, logistics, IT consulting, education, construction, telecom, chemicals, industrial manufacturing, real estate, and consulting. Salty2FA activity began gaining momentum in June 2025, with early traces possibly dating back to March–April 2025. Salty2FA campaigns have been active since late July 2025, generating dozens of fresh analysis sessions daily. The kit uses a multi-stage execution chain, including email lures, redirects to fake login pages, credential theft, and 2FA bypass techniques. Salty2FA employs Cloudflare checks to bypass automated filters and uses fake Microsoft-branded login pages to steal credentials. The kit intercepts push, SMS, and voice-based 2FA codes, leading to account takeovers. ANY.RUN sandbox analysis provides full-chain visibility of Salty2FA attacks, revealing behavioral patterns and reducing analyst workload. Defenders are advised to adopt advanced, layered protection and a behavioral-oriented approach to counter these evolving threats.