Despite the introduction of two-factor authentication, fraudsters intimidated Russians and began stealing accounts in State Services. In this respect reports Publication “Izvestia”.
Two-factor authentication in Civil Services appeared at the end of October 2023. After that, it became more difficult for attackers to steal Russian accounts, but they still developed a plan that allowed them to do so.
At the beginning of the program, the person receives a notification about the hacking or blocking of an account in State Services. Such a message may come via SMS, email or instant messaging. The text provides a phone number where the person can call to regain access to the service or unblock a profile.
If the victim calls the number back, the scammers ask for information to unlock the account. Among other things, they contain a short two-factor authentication code. Otherwise, the victim is asked to install a special program that will supposedly unlock the account. There is also a malicious application that, under the guise of a useful utility, allows attackers to take control of someone else’s device.
The Ministry of Digital Development of the Russian Federation recognized the possibility of the existence of this fraud scheme. They warned that State Services employees should never call or send SMS to citizens without prior application.
“An attacker can gain access to a Government Services account only if the user provides all the information required to log in: username and password, information about the second factor of account protection, or whether their data has been compromised,” the Ministry of Digital explained.
Previously the online advertising market in the Russian Federation appreciated 400 billion rubles.