<ul class="summary-list"><li>Authorities arrested hundreds of suspected criminals after tricking them into using an FBI-controlled chat app.</li><li>The former prosecutor who oversaw the operation told Insider <strong>the sting warned criminals that encrypted <keyword id="6355118" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="technology">technology</keyword> can't hide their wrongdoing.</strong></li><li><strong>He wouldn't expand on whether extremist groups that organize over encrypted apps </strong><strong>should heed the warning, too.</strong></li></ul><p>The <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fbi-anom-chat-app-leads-800-suspected-organized-crime-arrests-2021-6">arrests of more than 800 suspected drug and gun traffickers</a> last week in one of the biggest police stings in history wasn't the only goal of the <keyword id="6355946" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="fbi">FBI</keyword> developing a fake encrypted chat app for criminals, according to the former prosecutor in charge of the operation.</p><p>The FBI partnered with law enforcement around the world to get 12,000 devices loaded with a fake encrypted messaging app into the hands of suspected criminals - and then read every word. Monitoring the FBI-controlled app, called ANOM, gave law enforcement an opportunity to learn the inner workings of transnational drug and firearms trafficking organizations.</p><p>Andrew Young, the former assistant US attorney who oversaw Operation <keyword id="11459499" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="trojan-shield">Trojan Shield</keyword>, told Insider a primary goal of the operation was to send a message to suspected criminals that encrypted technology will not protect them.</p><p>"Building the evidence on all these other people, and all the arrests and the seizures, and certainly the murders that were prevented was incredible," Young said. "But one of the main goals was actually sort of that public relations goal: to show that the FBI is willing and able to do something like this, and that there's no reason to think they aren't doing it now or again." </p><p>Young wouldn't expand on whether domestic extremist groups that organize over encrypted apps, like the Boogaloo Bois and <a href="https://www.insider.com/how-proud-boys-rose-from-obscurity-to-mainstream-american-politics-2021-1">Proud Boys,</a> whose members <a href="https://www.insider.com/far-right-extremist-groups-focus-fbi-investigates-capitol-siege-2021-1">have been tied to the January 6 insurrection,</a>  should interpret Operation Trojan Shield as a sign the FBI could be monitoring their communications. </p><p>"That's harder for me to say just because I'm not in their minds and I don't know what they think, or what they intend to do, or what they should do to be better at what they're trying to do," Young said.</p><p>"I think what they should take from this is that law enforcement is not just going to sit back and say, 'This isn't a solvable problem so we just can't do anything about it at all,'" he added. "There's creative people and innovative people within the government and within law enforcement who are trying to solve these problems, and they're going to continue to work at it regardless of whatever platform they have." </p><div type="image" title="Cocaine was shopped in tuna cans, Operation Trojan Shield" height="694" width="1338" msid="83591613" hostid="261"></div><h2>How one of the biggest police stings in history got its start</h2><p>Young was the Justice Department's lead prosecutor on the ANOM case until August 2020, when he left to take a job at the law firm Barnes &amp; Thornburg. He told Insider how what began as a investigation into a small-time gambling ring morphed into one of the biggest police stings in history. </p><p>"One of the best achievements of this entire operation was that it never got out," Young said, given that more than a dozen nations participated.</p><p>The case got its start when investigators looking into the organizer of a gambling ring in 2015 realized the man was actually making most of his illegal proceeds from <keyword id="44416" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Drug-trafficking">drug trafficking</keyword>, according to Young. The man kept the gambling and drug businesses siloed, and used an encrypted communications device to be especially secretive when it came to the trafficking, he said.</p><p>That led the Justice Department to set its sights on Phantom Secure, a company they believed was creating encrypted devices and marketing them toward criminal enterprises that used them to freely share details about their operations. In 2018, Vincent Ramos, the chief executive of Phantom Secure, pleaded guilty to leading a criminal enterprise that facilitated the transnational importation and distribution of narcotics. He was sentenced to nine years in prison. </p><p>At that time, Young's team considered using the Phantom Secure technology for wiretaps, but he said it fell through.</p><p>"Then we were at the stage where you can just shut everything down and move on to something entirely different, or think, 'Is there something left here to do?'"  Young said. "That's around the time we were presented with a device and the opportunity to have a covert operation. That was the early, early stage of the idea."</p><p>After overcoming the logistical and bureaucratic obstacles to getting the operation off the ground both in the US and in Australia, Young's team learned through the FBI-controlled app how criminal enterprises communicate and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fbi-anom-app-caught-traffickers-smuggling-cocaine-tuna-cans-pineapples-2021-6">ship illegal drugs internationally -</a> often times by hiding it in shipments of food items, like hollowed-out pineapples or tuna cans. </p><p>Information gleaned from the app had led to the arrests of more than 800 people in Australia and across Europe as of last week, according to the FBI and <a href="https://www.europol.europa.eu/newsroom/news/800-criminals-arrested-in-biggest-ever-law-enforcement-operation-against-encrypted-communication">Europol.</a> In addition to the drugs, law enforcement also seized 55 luxury vehicles and more than $48 million in various currencies as part of the operation, Europol said in its release.</p>

The man who got the FBI's fake messaging app off the ground says pulling off one of the biggest police stings in history wasn't the only goal

<ul class="summary-list"><li>An international <keyword id="6354551" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Sting">sting</keyword> operation using a fake encrypted messaging <keyword id="235499" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="APP">app</keyword> has resulted in 800 arrests.</li><li>High-profile 'criminal influencers' used and pushed the app as well, thinking it was secure.</li></ul><p>Global police agencies arrested over 800 people in a massive sting operation, by tracking "criminal influencers," and drug traffickers on a messaging app run by the <keyword id="6355946" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="fbi">FBI</keyword>.</p><p>The sting was <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fbi-anom-chat-app-leads-800-suspected-organized-crime-arrests-2021-6">coordinated</a> by officers in 20 countries across Europe, in addition to the US and Australia.</p><p>The app, ANOM, was installed on barren phones with no video or camera capabilities and was encrypted, <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/anom-app-messaging-fbi-criminals-trojan-shield/">according to CBS News.</a></p><p>Australian authorities <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/anom-app-messaging-fbi-criminals-trojan-shield/">said</a> that kingpins in the drug trafficking world, or what they called "criminal influencers," vouched for the app's legitimacy and that users did not employ code words in their operations.</p><p>The app was developed as part of Trojan Shield, an operation led by the FBI, the DEA, and Europol, and for months the FBI monitored millions of messages on ANOM.</p>

The FBI used 'criminal influencers' to convince criminal syndicates to use a messaging app they secretly ran

<ul><li>Operation Trojan Shield successfully seized six tons of <keyword id="14727" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="20" keywordseo="cocaine">cocaine</keyword>, five tons of cannabis, two tons of methamphetamine, and over $48 million in various currencies and cryptocurrencies.</li><li>At the crux of this three-year-old investigation is a messaging service called ANOM that was supposed to be secure, but actually controlled by the police.</li><li>Nobody knew that the ANOM was planted by law enforcement authorities and was supposed to look like any other ordinary encryption service.</li><li>While cryptocurrencies have created a haven for criminals, authorities are ramping up their efforts and trying new strategies to take down these syndicates.</li><li>While the general understanding is that cryptocurrencies offer utmost anonymity, many incidents have challenged this narrative.<br /></li></ul>Law enforcement authorities across the world joined forces on Operation Trojan Shield -- a coordinated crackdown on criminal groups. The mission was successful with the seizure of six tons of cocaine, five tons of cannabis, two tons of methamphetamine, and over $48 million in various currencies and cryptocurrencies. <keyword id="50019" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="more">More</keyword> than 800 criminals were arrested in 16 countries. At the crux of this three-year-old investigation is a messaging service called ANOM that was supposed to be secure, but actually controlled by the police.<br /><br />Millions were <a href="https://www.coindesk.com/law-enforcement-fbi-australia-police-drugs-crypt-operation-trojan-shield-ironside">seized</a> in <a href="https://wazirx.com/signup?invite=2kpah6gr&amp;utm_source=business-insider&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=microsite">cryptocurrencies</a>, and law enforcement authorities penetrated more than 300 criminal syndicates. While coordinated global raids via Interpol aren’t uncommon, this effort stands apart because it involved the breach of an app that supported encryption but was still compromised. Criminals believed they were safe, but the cops were watching their every move.<br /><br />The agencies involved "carried out one of the largest and most sophisticated law enforcement operations to date in the fight against encrypted criminal activities," Jean-Philippe Lecouffe, deputy executive director of Europol, <a href="https://www.europol.europa.eu/newsroom/news/800-criminals-arrested-in-biggest-ever-law-enforcement-operation-against-encrypted-communication">said</a>. The agency has acknowledged that "countless spin-off operations will be carried out in the weeks to come."<br /><h2 style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:18pt;margin-bottom:6pt;">What is ANOM and how did law enforcement bypass encryption?</h2><br />The FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) coordinated with the Australian Federal Police in 2019 to develop an encrypted messaging service called ANOM. Nobody knew that the ANOM was planted by law enforcement authorities and was supposed to look like any other ordinary service popular among criminals. The network developer became an informant and used their contacts to spread the word on the street.<br /><br />What started as a tiny little company turned into a giant that had serviced more than 12,000 devices to 300 criminal syndicates operating in pretty much every country. The motive was to offer criminals precisely what they wanted -- an encrypted or secure device they can trust. The company was discreetly seeing every message they sent, waiting for the perfect opportunity to clamp down. With more than 27 million messages and 45,000 photos, authorities got deep insights into how they operated, all the while collecting evidence. <br /><br />In 2020, authorities compromised the encryption of secure networks EncroChat and Sky ECC. It left criminals with few alternatives, and many of them joined the ANOM network. "All they talk about is drugs, violence, hits on each other, innocent people who are going to be murdered, a whole range of things," <a href="https://www.news.com.au/technology/online/fbi-europol-afp-react-to-global-take-down-of-mafia-bikie-members-in-sting-of-the-century/news-story/99edefcb1acbc2e6ead103db554e8758">said</a> Australian Federal Police commissioner Reece Kershaw.<br /><h2 style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:18pt;margin-bottom:6pt;">Law enforcement in a decentralised world</h2>Amidst the rise of cryptocurrencies, governments globally are concerned about abuse by criminals. Breaking modern encryption is close to impossible, and authorities struggle to get the upper hand due to its decentralised setup. It’s impossible to pinpoint a specific target, and police have close to zero jurisdiction outside their local limit. While this has created a haven for criminals, agencies are ramping up their efforts and trying new tactics to take down these syndicates.<br /><br />The Colonial Pipeline in the US was recently a cyberattack victim that took down all its systems. The attackers asked for a ransom of $4.4 million via <a href="https://wazirx.com/signup?invite=2kpah6gr&amp;utm_source=business-insider&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=microsite">Bitcoin</a>, leaving authorities with no choice but to comply. Although, authorities <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/us-announce-recovery-millions-colonial-pipeline-ransomware-attack-2021-06-07/">managed</a> to recover $2.3 million out of it due to immediate action after the incident took place.<br /><br />While the general understanding is that cryptocurrencies offer utmost anonymity, many incidents have challenged this narrative. "I don't want to suggest that this is the norm, but there have been instances where we've even been able to work with our partners to identify the encryption keys, which then would enable a company to actually unlock their data — even without paying the ransom," FBI Director Christopher Wray <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2021/06/04/politics/christopher-wray-cyberattacks-9-11/index.html">said</a>.<br /><br />With countries like El Salvador officially <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/a-country-in-central-america-will-become-the-first-sovereign-government-to-approve-bitcoin-as-legal-tender/articleshow/83335659.cms">adopting</a> cryptocurrencies, the status quo is gradually changing. While the scale is negligible right now, governments have realised that they can no longer just “ban” cryptocurrencies. It’ll require a lot of effort in terms of regulations, policy, and on-ground enforcement. With criminals getting tech-savvy, it’s time governments also prepare for the future.<br /><br /><br /><strong>SEE ALSO:<br /><a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/paraguay-could-become-the-second-country-to-adopt-bitcoin/articleshow/83363776.cms">After El Salvador, Paraguay considers Bitcoin adoption</a><br /></strong><a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/gadgets/news/realme-ceo-teases-the-first-glimpse-of-the-upcoming-laptop/articleshow/83371170.cms"><strong>Realme laptop launch imminent in India — teaser shows MacBook like finish</strong></a>

Global drug ring busted: More than 800 arrested in 16 countries, millions seized in cryptocurrency

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The <keyword id="6355946" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="fbi">FBI</keyword> and its partners duped international criminal organizations with a fake encrypted messaging app. </li><li>The FBI reviewed more than 20 million messages from suspected criminals using the app.</li><li>The messages show accused drug traffickers stuffing shipments of tuna cans, <keyword id="63237" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="bananas">bananas</keyword>, and pineapples with cocaine.</li></ul><p>The FBI reviewed more than 20 million messages as part of an <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fbi-anom-chat-app-leads-800-suspected-organized-crime-arrests-2021-6">international sting operation announced Tuesday</a> that duped suspected criminals into using an encrypted chat app controlled by the agency.</p><p>Agents learned through those conversations some of the more creative ways that overseas drug traffickers try to move product, which include stuffing <keyword id="14721" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Drugs">drugs</keyword> into boxes of bananas, hollowed-out pineapples, and tuna cans.</p><p>The FBI <a href="https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/fbi-global-partners-announce-results-of-operation-trojan-shield-060821">said informants provided suspected criminal organizations</a> around the world with 12,000 devices equipped with the FBI-controlled messaging app, which is called ANOM. Operation Trojan Shield, as it's called, gave law enforcement an opportunity to learn the inner workings of international drug and firearms trafficking organizations.</p><p>Court documents <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/akgkwj/operation-trojan-shield-anom-fbi-secret-phone-network">first reported by Motherboard's Joseph Cox</a> show just how closely law enforcement was able to monitor suspected criminals' plans through an app they were made to believe was secure. The documents include examples of the "criminal conversations" the FBI reviewed.</p><p>The court documents quote two people identified by the usernames Ironman and Real G who used the ANOM app in May 2020 to discuss how they would transport drugs between Colombia and Hong Kong. Ironman told Real G that there was no corrupt official at the Hong Kong port to clear a shipment, and asked how the cocaine would be shipped. </p><p>In response, Real G sent a photo of packages of suspected cocaine and said it would be shipped in crates of bananas.</p><div type="image" title="Banana shipment, Operation Trojan Shield" height="650" width="480" msid="83354996" hostid="261"></div><p>"They cover this with a layer of banana," the user said, according to the court documents.</p><p>The court documents show that in October 2020, an organization arranged to transport cocaine from Ecuador to Belgium in a shipping container hidden among cans of tuna. US agents who worked in Brussels searched the container alongside local police and found 613 kilograms of cocaine inside, and an additional 1,523 kilos of the drug were found in a different container headed to Antwerp, according to the documents.</p><p>In April 2021, the FBI learned that a criminal organization was planning to ship cocaine from Ecuador to Spain using a container filled with refrigerated fish, according to the documents. Law enforcement from Spain searched the container when it arrived into the Port of Algeciras and found 1,401 kilos of cocaine.</p><p>A month later, the FBI and law enforcement in Spain intercepted a shipment to the same port and found 1,595 kilos of cocaine stuffed into hollowed-out pineapples, according to the documents.</p><div type="image" title="pineapple. Operation Trojan Shield" height="716" width="1282" msid="83355000" hostid="261"></div><p>"The conversations detailed above are a small sample set pulled from more than 20 million messages that FBI reviewed of Anom's criminal users," FBI Special Agent Nicholas I. Cheviron wrote in a court document seeking a search warrant for Google headquarters in Mountain View, California. "From those messages, more than 450,000 photos have been sent detailing conversations on other encrypted platforms discussing criminal activity, cryptocurrency transactions, bulk cash smuggling, law enforcement corruption, and self-identification information."</p><p>Those communications included alleged "plots to kill, mass drug trafficking and gun distribution," <a href="https://www.afp.gov.au/news-media/media-releases/afp-led-operation-ironside-smashes-organised-crime">Australian police said in an announcement Tuesday</a>.</p><p>Information gleaned from the app ultimately led to the arrests of 800 people in Australia and across Europe, according to the FBI and <a href="https://www.europol.europa.eu/newsroom/news/800-criminals-arrested-in-biggest-ever-law-enforcement-operation-against-encrypted-communication">Europol.</a> In addition to the drugs, law enforcement also seized 55 luxury vehicles and more than $48 million in various currencies as part of the operation, Europol said in its release.</p>

Suspected drug traffickers organized cocaine-stuffed shipments of tuna cans, pineapples, and bananas over a messaging app secretly run by the FBI

Ancient warfare expert rates 10 battle tactics in movies and TV shows

<br /><ul><li>Scientists have spotted a new ‘mini-moon’ orbiting Earth.<br /></li><li>The visiting space rock has been identified as asteroid 2020 CD3.<br /></li><li>One of the first mini-moons to be discovered by researchers was 2006 RH120, which circled the planet for 18 months.<br /></li></ul>The Moon isn’t the only space rock orbiting the Earth. A new mini-moon was spotted circling the planet by a researcher at the Catalina Sky Survey. Between 2 to 3 meters wide, scientists estimate that Asteroid 2020 CD3 has been lingering around for the past three years.<br /><br /><div type="twitter" handle="WierzchosKacper" handlename="Kacper Wierzchos" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1119991063781842944/z0bJlZh-_normal.png" favoritecount="2078" retweetcount="981" status="BIG NEWS (thread 1/3). Earth has a new temporarily captured object/Possible mini-moon called 2020 CD3. On the night… https://t.co/QbzjSmnykB" createdat="1582676440000" id="1232460436634656769"></div>

<br />However, this isn’t the first mini-moon that researchers have found. <br /><br />According to scientists, there is at least one mini-moon circling the planet at any given time — most of them go undiscovered because they’re so small in size.<br /><br /><strong>Not the first mini-moon<br /></strong>In 2016, the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA) reported that another asteroid called <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/SURPRISE-Earth-has-two-moons/amp_articleshow/52782976.cms">2016 HO3</a> had been caught in Earth’s gravity.<br /><br />Bigger than 2020 CD3, it is between 35 to 90 meters wide. When it was initially spotted three years ago, the asteroid had already been around for a century. Scientists estimate that it is likely that it will stick around for many more centuries to come — giving the Earth a grand total of two mini-moons for the foreseeable future.<br /><br />However, 2016 HO3 was one of many. One of the earliest mini-moons was 2006 RH120, just under a meter in size. According to <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/248852563_Photometry_of_2006_RH120_An_asteroid_temporary_captured_into_a_geocentric_orbit">researchers</a>, it circled the Earth for 18 months between 2006 and 2007.<br /><br /><strong>What do we know about the new mini-moon?<br /></strong>The International Astronomical Union (<a href="https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/mpec/K20/K20DA4.html">IAU</a>) observations “indicate that this object is temporarily bound to Earth,” although it did not issue any estimates how long the new mini-moon will be sticking around. <br /><br />An orbit model developed by Tony Dunn, an amateur astrophysicist, estimates that 2020 CD3 could be making its exit from Earth’s orbit as early as April.<br /><br /><div type="twitter" handle="tony873004" handlename="Tony Dunn" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1131753263462662144/EpVgElJF_normal.png" favoritecount="77" retweetcount="32" status="Here's an animated GIF of our new mini-moon 2020 CD3, discovered by @WierzchosKacper. Rotating frame keeps the Eart… https://t.co/mRBEjcIoHF" createdat="1582684157000" id="1232492803805986816"></div>

<br />However, the IAU was able to confirm that the asteroid is not linked to any known artificial objects. “No evidence of perturbations due to solar radiation pressure is seen,” it added.<br /><br /><strong>What would happen if the Earth actually had two moons?<br /></strong>Thankfully, all of the mini-moons spotted so far have been small in size. If a space object, identical to the Moon, was to get trapped in the Earth’s orbit the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/a-city-in-china-wants-to-launch-an-artificial-moon-into-orbit-by-2020-heres-what-would-happen-if-earth-really-did-have-two-moons/articleshow/67474908.cms">results wouldn’t be pretty</a>.<br /><br />Anything a normal moon does, a second moon would exacerbate. So if the original moon dictates tides, a second moon would cause the sea-level to rise suddenly sending the oceans into a violent frenzy. <br /><br />The tug of war between them for dominance would pull gravity back and forth triggering massive volcanic activity. Like Jupiter’s moon Io — the second moon would be overcome in rivers of lava.<br /><br />In the long run — a couple of millions of years of repeated volatility — the two moons would eventually collide destroying each other and sending millions of pieces of debris flying into space, including massive chunks towards Earth. Anything that doesn’t get smashed into the surface would get caught in the planet’s gravity.<br /><br />As of now, the new mini-moon is not something to worry about. While it’s existence has been confirmed, there’s still a lot that scientists hope to uncover in the coming days. Some are hoping that there’s a possibility that the asteroid could get caught in the Moon’s gravity as it flies off, creating a ‘moonmoon’.<br /><br /><strong>See also:<br /></strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/nasas-lucy-is-going-to-travel-4-billion-miles-to-explore-seven-trojan-asteroids-and-an-asteroid-moon/articleshow/73189625.cms">NASA's 'Lucy' is going to travel 4 billion miles to explore seven Trojan asteroids — and an asteroid Moon</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/moon-magnetic-field-died-a-billion-years-ago/articleshow/73064597.cms">The Moon used to have its own shield against the Sun — it died a billion years ago</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/the-worlds-oldest-asteroid-struck-earth-2-2-billion-years-ago-triggering-the-first-episode-global-warming-in-history/articleshow/73509096.cms">The world's oldest asteroid struck Earth 2.2 billion years ago triggering one of the first global warming episodes in history</a><br />

Earth has a new ‘mini-moon’ — and it’s not the first

<ul><li>New research by the Agari Cyber Intelligence Division (ACID) has uncovered a new group of <keyword id="9537029" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="russian-scammers">Russian scammers</keyword> targeting senior executives. </li><li>Dubbed <keyword id="9537031" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="cosmic-lynx">Cosmic Lynx</keyword>, these email scammers have duped businesses out of at much as $2.7 million.</li><li>With impeccable grammar and spelling, they derive targets from DMARC records impersonating of recently acquired companies and real lawyers.</li></ul>Russian scammers are the ‘new kid on the playground’ when it comes to siphoning off money in digital cons. On average, <keyword id="3627949" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Business-Email-Compromise">business email compromise</keyword> (BEC) attacks ask for <a href="https://www.agari.com/cyber-intelligence-research/e-books/q1-2020-report.pdf#page=9">around $55,000</a> but these Russian con artists dubbed Cosmic Lynx are known to ask for much higher amounts of up to $2.7 million.<br /><br />Discovered by the Agari Cyber Intelligence Division (<a href="https://www.agari.com/news-and-press-releases/cosmic-lynx-russian-bec-cybercriminal-ring/">ACID</a>), Cosmic Lynx aren’t scammers sitting in Nigeria asking you to send over money to rescue a stranded prince but polished scammers targeting senior executives in large organisations and corporations across 46 countries. <br /><br />"This is a very sophisticated and well-researched operation, run by experienced hackers who have done their homework. The hackers looked into companies that were completing an acquisition, identified a senior executive target, and impersonated the CEO of the company being acquired in order to deceive their target into wiring money to a fraudulent account,” Tim Sadler, CEO of Tessian, told Business Insider. <br /><br />This group of hackers has been behind more than 200 BEC campaigns since July 2019, according to ACID. Yet, researchers don't have a clear sense of how often Cosmic Lynx actually succeeds at obtaining a payout.<br /><br /><strong>A new class of money cons</strong><br />Most BECs can be spotted because of the numerous grammatical mistakes in the email or rush to get money transferred as soon as possible. Email from Cosmic Lynx, on the other hand, are clean with flawless spelling as they impersonate the CEO of the organisation that’s being acquired.<br /><br />“To add another layer of perceived legitimacy, the hackers also impersonated an external lawyer at a well-regarded law firm, making it very difficult for the target to think that they are being scammed,” said Sadler. According to ACID, this lawyer — normally impersonating a real lawyer from a well-regarded law firm in the United Kingdom — is brought in to facilitate the necessary payments, adding an air of legitimacy to the entire transaction. <br /><br />Rather than use free accounts, Cosmic Lynx makes the effort to register strategic domain names for each individual BEC campaign to appear more convincing. It also shields these domains so that it’s harder to trace back the account to the true owner. <br /><br />“Cosmic Lynx represents the future of organized crime rings that are shifting focus to socially engineered email fraud,” said <a href="https://www.agari.com/news-and-press-releases/cosmic-lynx-russian-bec-cybercriminal-ring/">Armen Najarian</a>, the CMO and Chief Identity Officer at Agari.<br /><br /><strong>DMARC and how Cosmic Lynx uses it to its advantage <br /></strong>DMARC stands for domain-based message authentication, reporting &amp; conformance. It is an email authentication, policy, and reporting protocol.<br /><br />Cosmic Lynx uses DMARC records to select its targets and methods of attack. “This tactic highlights why companies cannot rely on the email authentication protocol as a silver bullet to prevent email impersonation scams,” said Sadler.<br /><br />DMARC records are publicly available, it's easy for hackers to identify companies that do not have the protocols in place, allowing them to directly impersonate a company's domain and pose as the CEO to convince targets they are opening a legitimate email. Of the Fortune 500 companies around the world, only around 15% have a DMARC record and an enforcement policy. The other 85% have left their doors wide open. <br /><br />"Even if your company does have a DMARC policy in place, be aware that attackers can also assess how strictly you've configured it,” Sadler explained. According to him, even if a company has a strict email policy in place, the attacker can still carry out an advanced spear-phishing attack by registering a look-a-like domain. <br /><br />“They bank on the fact that a busy employee may miss the slight deviation from the original domain,” said Sadler.<br /><br /><strong>Here’s why Agari researcher believe Cosmic Lynx is a Russian criminal group:<br /></strong><ul><li>Cosmic Lynx emails appear to be sent as per Moscow Standard Time.<br /></li><li>Connections between the group's infrastructure and that used by the notorious Trickbot and Emotet trojans, which are both believed to have Russian ties, have been uncovered.<br /></li><li>Cosmic Lynx uses IP addresses in its BEC campaigns that are also used by websites that sell fake Russian documents like birth certificates and death certificates. <br /></li><li>The metadata of documents sent by Cosmic Lynx used Russian cultural references, including one to a popular Saint Petersburg–based DJ.<br /></li></ul>Even though in the past the division between the Russian government and criminal hackers has not always been absolute, ACID has found no evidence to believe that Cosmic Lynx is a state-backed group.<br /><br />What’s scary is that BEC requires less technical investment than malware-based scamming, which has seen a large uptake during the coronavirus era. However, it still demands a specialised skill set, which could explain there hasn’t been a large uptake in BEC scams. Hackers normally follow the money and as BEC attacks become more profitably, it’s likely that they will become a more appealing option in the near future.<br />

Russian scammers are conning senior executives into giving away $2.7 million by impersonating real CEOs and lawyers

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<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5942b5d8688ad21c008b4ade-1600/amazon fire 7 1.jpg" alt="amazon fire 7 1.JPG" data-mce-source="Jeff Dunn/Business Insider" data-mce-caption="The Amazon Fire 7." /><p class="source"><span>Jeff Dunn/Business Insider</span></p><p class="caption">The Amazon Fire 7.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Recently <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-fire-7-tablet-review-best-cheap-tablet-2017-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">we reviewed Amazon's Fire 7, a $50 Android tablet</a> that isn't outright <em>good</em> in any one aspect, but does enough right to be good value for its bargain-basement price.</p><p>If you just want to pay the lowest amount possible to do the kind of casual entertainment things you'd do with a regular iPad, Amazon's Fire 7 is your top choice. </p><p>The bigger question, though, is whether the Fire 7 - or its stronger $80 sibling, the Fire HD 8 - are the <em>only</em> Android tablets worth considering.</p><p>Yes, there are superior Android slates like the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/best-gaming-tablet-nvidia-shield-2014-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nvidia Shield</a> or <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/samsung-galaxy-tab-s3-review-ipad-pro-android-2017-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Samsung Galaxy Tab S3</a>. They're faster and better-built, with sharper screens and a cleaner version of Android. If you're beholden Google's mobile OS and you just want something <em>nice</em>, go ahead and spend the extra cash.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5942a48850466b58028b49cb-1600/amazon fire 7 5.jpg" alt="amazon fire 7 5.JPG" data-mce-source="Jeff Dunn/Business Insider" /><p class="source"><span>Jeff Dunn/Business Insider</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>But you'd be in the minority. Sales of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/tablet-sales-decline-ipad-chart-2017-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">standalone tablets have dipped dramatically</a> in recent years. Apple's iPad shipments have notably declined, but most Android tablet makers have been hit just as hard. According to <a href="http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS42520917" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">research firm IDC</a>, the only big risers of late have been Huawei, which also sells higher-end Windows slates, and Amazon, which in two years <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-is-gaining-ground-in-the-tablet-market-2016-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">surged from nothing</a> to become the fourth-largest tablet maker today.</p><p>The result here is a tablet market that's stretched to its ends. Amazon's gains are almost exclusively due to ultra-cheap slates like the Fire 7, which the company can afford to sell because they're Trojan horses designed to coerce people to buy Prime and use Amazon's exhaustive list of services.</p><p>On the other end, though, is a rise in premium "2-in-1s" like <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-surface-pro-2017-review-better-than-an-ipad-or-a-mac-2017-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Microsoft's Surface Pro</a> and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-ipad-pro-10-5-inch-review-2017-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Apple's iPad Pro</a>, which are explicitly focused on laptop-like power and productivity. Microsoft has even gone so far as to outright advertise <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-surface-pro-2017-vs-surface-pro-4-specs-2017-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">its latest Surface Pro</a> as a "versatile laptop."</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5942a532688ad2b01c8b46b4-2000/apple ipad-4.jpg" alt="apple ipad 4" data-mce-source="Hollis Johnson/Business Insider" data-mce-caption="Apple's new 10.5-inch iPad Pro." /><p class="source"><span>Hollis Johnson/Business Insider</span></p><p class="caption">Apple's new 10.5-inch iPad Pro.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Everything else has been caught in the middle. That includes standard iPads, but also the vast majority of Android tablets. With bigger phones and touch-friendly laptops both in vogue - and with older tablets, iPads in particular, holding up well over time - there's just less room, and need, for something to come in between.</p><p>These tectonic forces are the main reason for the mainstream tablet's ongoing demise. But the problem with <em>Android</em> tablets is they aren't adapting. As the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/samsung-galaxy-tab-s3-review-ipad-pro-android-2017-3/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Galaxy Tab S3 has shown</a>, Android is still woefully undercooked as a laptop-style OS. And <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/lenovo-yoga-book-2016-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">as <em>every</em> Android tablet has shown</a>, Google's mobile OS is sloppy on larger screens as a whole. Recent updates have helped, but too often Android on the tablet still looks like a blown-up version of Android on the phone (where, to be clear, it is excellent).</p><p>In contrast, iOS rarely has such problems, because developers build apps with the iPad in mind. Windows 10 is a nightmare as an ordinary tablet, but pair it with a keyboard, and you have the same platform you'd use on the desktop. </p><p>That Android tablets tend to be quickly forgotten when it comes to software updates doesn't help its case. As a result, the iPad is still your safest bet if you're in the dwindling market that still wants a standard slate.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5941bfad688ad21d008b4738-2000/surface-tablet-review-2017-11.jpg" alt="microsoft surface pro" data-mce-source="Melia Robinson/Business Insider" /><p class="source"><span>Melia Robinson/Business Insider</span></p><p class="caption">Microsoft's new Surface Pro.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Crucially, the iOS 11 update Apple announced at WWDC, which brings a number of Mac-like <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2017/6/6/15742622/apple-ipad-pro-news-vs-macbook-computer-wwdc-2017" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">productivity features</a> to the iPad, should only exacerbate this trend going forward. The iPad is becoming more flexible, while Android tablets are largely standing still.</p><p>So the only advantage the Android tablet has left is price. According to NPD figures <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/baig/2017/03/20/can-new-ipads-turbo-charge-slumping-tablet-market/99302266/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">cited by USA Today</a> in March, the iPad has an 85% market share in the US among tablets that cost more than $200. The <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-ipad-2017-review-the-best-couch-computer-ever-2017-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">launch of Apple's lower-cost iPad</a> earlier this year seems likely to keep that in place. </p><p>Go below that figure, though, and your best option is going right back where we started: saving cash and getting the good-enough Fire 7 and Fire HD 8. It's no surprise that Android tablet launches are quiet these days, while <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/3090466/android/dell-stops-selling-android-devices.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">manufacturers like Dell</a> have left the market completely.</p><h2>Chrome OS looks like a better fit for tablets</h2><p>The thing is, Google seems to be well aware of this market shift. It's spent the last several months <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/google-chromebook-android-apps-chrome-os-support-list-2017-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">porting Android apps</a> onto its other platform, Chrome OS, which to date has powered Google's line of low-cost Chromebook laptops.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/589e40d76e09a822008b68bc-1800/-samsung-chromebook-pro-12.png" alt="_ Samsung Chromebook Pro 12" data-mce-source="Business Insider/Jeff Dunn" /><p class="source"><span>Business Insider/Jeff Dunn</span></p><p class="caption">Samsung's Chromebook Pro is a Chrome OS laptop with Android apps.</p></div><p></p></div></div>It's here where Google is moving away from the dead-end facing pure Android tablets. A number of convertible Chromebooks are hitting the market, and various elements of Chrome OS have become more touch-friendly.</p><p>Bringing in the Google Play Store, with its millions of apps explicitly designed with touchscreens in mind, would seem to be the piece that turns Chrome OS into the "2-in-1" platform Windows 10 is and iOS is starting to become.</p><p>In turn, it'd seem to give Google a way to make the kind of tablets people are actually buying.</p><p>Chrome OS could also give Google the platform that fits the "tablet PC" form factor best. Instead of trying to evolve one type of OS into something it's not, as Apple and Microsoft are doing, a Chrome OS with functional Android support would have everything all at once: a desktop-class web browser, with deep app support when you need it.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5942a5c9688ad256248b45ed-1800/amazon fire 7 6.jpg" alt="amazon fire 7 6.JPG" data-mce-source="Jeff Dunn/Business Insider" /><p class="source"><span>Jeff Dunn/Business Insider</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>The problem is that, even after months of trying, that Android support isn't totally functional. You can flip something <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/samsung-chromebook-pro-future-of-chromebooks-google-2017-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">like the Samsung Chromebook Pro</a> around and make it akin to a tablet, but there's still a host of bugs and technical quirks, and Android apps continue to be ill-suited for larger screens.</p><p>If Google can ever wrangle all of this together, there'd be compelling reasons to choose a premium Android tablet over the iPad (or Surface) in the future. Until then, cheaper devices like the Fire 7 will continue to be the only avenue in which Android on the tablet is a smart investment.</p><p>Google declined a request for comment.</p><p class="tagline">Get the latest Google stock price<a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/stock/GOOG-Quote"> here.</a></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-ipad-pro-review-tablet-tech-2017-6">This is Apple's best iPad ever - here's why</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="RzbmZpYjE6oa3lNZQFlFnGrP3qr7G5VP" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'RzbmZpYjE6oa3lNZQFlFnGrP3qr7G5VP',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

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