Kaspersky Reveals Advanced Phishing Technique That Bypasses Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
An example of a banking phishing site (photo: Kaspersky)
- Kaspersky exposed the sophisticated evolution of the latest phishing techniques used by cybercriminals to bypass two-factor authentication (2FA), an important security measure designed to protect online accounts.
This 2FA feature is intended to add an extra layer of security to protect user accounts even if their passwords are compromised. However, fraudsters have developed ways to trick users, so they can bypass 2FA protection.
OTP bots are tools used by fraudsters to intercept OTPs through social engineering techniques. Typically, attackers attempt to obtain user login credentials through phishing or data leaks. "Social engineering can be very complicated, especially with the use of OTP bots that can imitate real calls from representatives of legitimate services or organizations," said Olga Svistunova, security expert at Kaspersky in a report received on Monday, June 10.
Then log in to the account, thereby triggering an OTP to be sent to the user's cellphone. After that, the OTP bot will call the user, pretending to be a representative of a trusted organization, and persuade the victim to share the OTP.
Lastly, once the attacker receives the OTP via the bot, they will use it to gain access to the victim's account. Kaspersky also discovered that these fraudsters manage OTP bots through special online panels or messaging platforms such as Telegram. This bot comes with various features and subscription plans.
Kaspersky research shows the significant impact of these bot phishing and OTP attacks. From March 1 to May 31, 2024, the company's product prevented 653,088 attempts to visit sites generated by phishing kits targeting the banking sector, whose data is often used in attacks with OTP bots.
In the same period, Kaspersky technology detected 4,721 phishing pages generated by kits aimed at bypassing two-factor authentication in real-time.
Therefore, Kaspersky emphasizes that it is important to remain vigilant and follow best security practices.