Thousands of Microsoft 365 accounts under threat from W3LL phishing kit

Representational image depecting cybersecurity protection
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Hundreds of threat actor groups are using a highly advanced phishing kit to target corporate Microsoft 365 accounts, with relative success, according to a new report from cybersecurity experts Group-IB. 

The phishing kit is called W3LL, and it’s been in development since at least 2017. In that time, the kit grew and improved, and with it - its popularity rose, with more than 500 groups currently using it.

Those groups have managed to create roughly 850 phishing campaigns, which sought to steal Microsoft 365 credentials from more than 56,000 accounts. Apparently, they succeeded in some 8,000 instances. The result is, the researchers say, “millions of dollars” in financial losses, and possibly millions of files stolen from endpoints.

W3LL phishing attacks

One of W3LL’s key selling propositions is the ability to bypass multi-factor authentication, the experts said. Also, as it covers almost the entire kill chain in a Business Email Compromise (BEC) operation, it can be used by crooks “of all technical skill levels”. Finally, W3LL has its own app store, where cybercriminals can purchase different tools, modules, and such. 

Some of the key tools, as per the report, include SMTP senders PunnySender and W3LL Sender, a malicious link stager called W3LL Redirect, a vulnerability scanner called OKELO, an automated account discovery utility CONTOOL, and an email validator called LOMPAT.

“W3LL’s major weapon, W3LL Panel, may be considered one of the most advanced phishing kits in class, featuring adversary-in-the-middle functionality, API, source code protection, and other unique capabilities,” Group-IB explained. 

Phishing is one of the most popular, and basic, attack verticals. It’s cheap to set up and can easily be automated. With email’s wide reach, the potential of phishing attacks is unparalleled. Even today, most cyberattacks start with an email message that either carries a malicious attachment, or a link.

Via: BleepingComputer

More security news from TechRadar Pro

Sead is a seasoned freelance journalist based in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He writes about IT (cloud, IoT, 5G, VPN) and cybersecurity (ransomware, data breaches, laws and regulations). In his career, spanning more than a decade, he’s written for numerous media outlets, including Al Jazeera Balkans. He’s also held several modules on content writing for Represent Communications.

Read more
A fish hook is lying across a computer keyboard, representing a phishing attack on a computer system
Microsoft authentication system spoofed via phishing attack
Fraude en ligne phishing
Phishing clicks nearly tripled in 2024 as criminals aim for smarter attacks
A padlock resting on a keyboard.
Massive botnet is targeting Microsoft 365 accounts across the world
Hook on Keyboard
Fake DocuSign and HubSpot phishing emails target 20,000 Microsoft Azure accounts
Illustration of a hooked email hovering over a mobile phone
AWS misconfigurations reportedly used to launch phishing attacks
Hacker Typing
This devious two-step phishing campaign uses Microsoft tools to bypass email security
Latest in Security
Webex by Cisco banner on a Chromebook
Cisco warns some Webex users of worrying security flaw, so patch now
Red padlock open on electric circuits network dark red background
AI-powered cyber threats are becoming the biggest worry for businesses everywhere
Woman using iMessage on iPhone
Apple to take legal action against British Government over backdoor request
Red padlock open on electric circuits network dark red background
Aviaton firms hit by devious new polyglot malware
A laptop with a red screen with a white skull on it with the message: "RANSOMWARE. All your files are encrypted."
Major ransomware attack sees Tata Technologies hit - 1.4TB dataset with over 730,000 files allegedly stolen
Image of laptop infected with malware
Ransomware criminals are now sending their demands...by snail mail?
Latest in News
An AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT made by Sapphire on a table with its retail packaging
Last-minute AMD RX 9070 XT stock rumors are making me hopeful for a much better launch than Nvidia’s RTX 5000 GPUs – with just one snag
eSIM
Global eSIM shipment volume surpasses half a billion units as demand keeps on growing
Salesforce Agentforce 2dx
Salesforce gives AI agents the power to be proactive and autonomous like never before
Microsoft Store logo on a blurred background
There's finally a fix for an annoying Microsoft Store bug that's older than Windows 11
A screenshot showing Naoe looking at the hidden blade in Assassin's Creed Shadows
Prep 107GB of space as Assassin's Creed Shadows preload and expected global release times are shared by Ubisoft
A screenshot of a character in FragPunk on PC.
FragPunk drops tomorrow for PC, but its console launch has been delayed at the last minute