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Cyber criminals are mailing out USB drives that install ransomware

According to the FBI, a cybercrime group has been attempting to compromise devices via thumb drives. The malicious group has been mailing out USB thumb drives, hoping that recipients will fall for the trick and plug them into their devices, effectively installing ransomware on their networks. The drives reportedly contain BadUSB attacks and were sent via the United States Postal Service and United Parcel Service. The packages also contained messages claiming to be the US Department of Health and Human Services, claiming that what was on the drive was a Covid-19 warning. Some recipients received USBs with a gift card claiming to be from Amazon.

BadUSB exploits the USB standard versatility and allows an attacker to reprogram the tool to perform malicious acts such as emulating a keyboard to create keystrokes and commands on a computer or install malware prior to the system booting. In some cases, the BadUSB attacks can allow an attacker to spoof a network card and redirect traffic. According to security researchers, BadUSB attacks are not common. However, one campaign in 2020 conducted by the FIN7 group gained traction. The FBI warned that the BadUSB attacks were shipped on LILYGO-branded devices and delivered to organizations in the defense, transportation, and insurance industries.

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