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Astaroth: New MFA Bypass Attacks Targeting Popular Mail
A new type of attack is threatening users of popular email platforms like Gmail, Outlook, AOL, and Yahoo. The purpose of the attack is to bypass two-factor authentication (2FA), which many people rely on for extra security. What is it and what how does it accomplish this?
The attack works by hijacking your login session and stealing your credentials in real-time, even while 2FA is active. The method behind this attack is called Astaroth. It involves a special kit that places itself between you and the real sign-in page. This allows it to show the real login page but still grab your login details, 2FA codes, and session cookies as they’re generated.
This makes it more dangerous than older phishing methods, which would traditionally show a fake login page and so only captured basic login details (username/password) and 2FA is able to maintain protection on the account.
In short, this attack can break through both your usual password and 2FA defenses, making it even more important for users to pay attention to what they are doing. The best defenses remain users going specifically to the site they want to login to rather than clicking on a link from a browser or email and then signing in. By directly going to the page you want to sign into, users can avoid an attack like this.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please feel free to reach out to our offices.
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