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The Australian police arrested an alleged mastermind behind Ghost, an encrypted communication platform created for criminals. While smishing attacks are increasing especially during holidays, an international investigation team traced down a smishing gang based in Vietnam and South Korea, bringing them to justice. A report revealed that denial-of-service cyberattacks were fueled by recent geopolitical tensions. The United Nations issued seven recommendations for the global governance of artificial intelligence.
This is Dain Oh reporting from South Korea, and here is your weekend briefing.
1. Operation Kraken: Australian police hack criminal app to arrest its creator
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) announced on Wednesday the arrest of an alleged mastermind behind Ghost, an encrypted communication platform used exclusively by criminals. The arrest was made possible through international law enforcement efforts known as ‘Operation Kraken.’
According to an AFP press release, a 32-year-old man from New South Wales has been charged with creating and managing Ghost, an encrypted communication platform allegedly designed solely for criminal use.
Australian broadcaster ABC News reported that the charged man is Jay Je Yoon Jung. By day, Jung worked for his parents’ commercial cleaning business, but by night, he is alleged to have been the mastermind behind Ghost.
Police believe that Jung created Ghost nine years ago, when he was 23. They allege that the platform has been used by the criminal underworld to facilitate serious crimes, including drug trafficking, money laundering, contract killings, and threats of violence. According to the police, the app has been favored by Italian gangs in Victoria, bikies in Western Australia, and Middle Eastern organized crime syndicates in New South Wales. READ MORE
2. Smishing is increasing during national holidays, but the arrest rate remains low
Smishing, a type of cyberattack that uses phishing through text messages, is on the rise, especially during South Korean holidays. However, the arrest rate for these crimes remains low.
According to Jung Hee-yong, a member of South Korea’s 22nd National Assembly, the number of smishing incidents surged during Chuseok, a South Korean national holiday when families gather to spend time together.
According to statistics provided by the National Police Agency to Jung, there were 13 cases of smishing during Chuseok in September 2019, with a police arrest rate of 23.1 percent. However, by September 2023, the number of smishing cases had surged 13-fold to 165, but only 10 arrests were made, representing just 6.1 percent of the total cases.
“During the Chuseok holiday, when people are actively exchanging text messages with friends and family, it’s easy for smishing crimes to occur, as people tend to readily accept incoming messages,” said Jung. “Hacking can lead to further damage. We need to strengthen regulations on smishing and combat the crime by conducting preventive training,” he added. READ MORE
3. Vietnam-based smishing gang arrested through international cooperation
On Friday, the Korean National Police Agency (KNPA) announced the arrest of seven gang members who allegedly established an office in Vietnam in order to commit smishing attacks.
Among those arrested, three associates, including the mastermind, were forcefully repatriated to South Korea a week before the announcement, according to a police press release.
The KNPA initiated an investigation against smishing attacks—the deceptive use SMS to steal sensitive information—in July of last year when a fraud victim filed a report to the cybercrime unit of the Gyeongbuk Provincial Police. The victim had received an online invitation to a wedding, which ultimately led to the installation of malicious software on their mobile device. READ MORE
4. Geopolitically motivated DDoS attacks surged against finance sector, Akamai says
Rising geopolitical tensions, particularly involving Russia and the Middle East, helped fuel one-third of denial-of-service cyberattacks that targeted the global financial services sector for the second year running, according to new findings from cloud and cybersecurity services provider Akamai.
The cyber assaults, commonly known as DDoS attacks, targeted around 34% of financial institutions observed between January 2023 and June 2024, aiming to cripple the companies’ websites by overwhelming them with bot-generated network traffic. The video game and technology sectors were the second and third most targeted in the observed period, respectively, the Akamai report says.
Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war have fueled a rise in hacktivist activity that has contributed to the surge in DDoS attacks, it notes. European banks affiliated with Ukraine have been especially targeted in the assaults, though the report did not provide specific numbers.
Nearly 3,000 DDoS attacks targeting the financial sector were recorded in the findings. While not every bank or financial provider has explicit geopolitical motivations, their critical role in the global economy still makes them prime targets for hackers. READ MORE
5. UN finalizes seven recommendations for global governance on AI
The United Nations announced a report outlining seven recommendations for the global governance of artificial intelligence. This follows the finalization of an interim report published by the UN in December 2023.
On Thursday, the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Advisory Body on AI (HLAB-AI) published the final report titled ‘Governing AI for Humanity.’ The report unifies and addresses gaps in the global framework, outlining seven recommendations to protect humans from AI and ensure its responsible use.
The report stated that AI is rapidly developing and having a global impact in areas such as power and wealth. However, no one can fully understand or control AI, so users must develop, deploy, and utilize systems with a sufficient understanding. Without this, negative consequences could arise worldwide, highlighting the need for global governance of AI. READ MORE
More stories this week…
6. [AP] Justice Department disrupts vast Chinese hacking operation that infected consumer devices
7. [WP] California passes AI laws to curb election deepfakes, protect actors
8. [NBC] Iranian hackers sent stolen Trump campaign info to Biden campaign associates, FBI says
