{
  "id": 2137586,
  "title": "Cybersecurity firm unveils crypto phishing campaign targeting 885,000 phone numbers",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/20/cybersecurity-firm-unveils-crypto-phishing-campaign-targeting-885-000",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-08-20T12:35:32.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Cointelegraph",
    "slug": "cointelegraph",
    "url": "https://cointelegraph.com/news/cybersecurity-unveils-crypto-phishing-885000-phone-numbers"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Rapid7 has disclosed a new crypto-focused phishing campaign dubbed \"Operation Asterix,\" which targeted nearly 885,000 phone numbers across multiple countries. The objective of the attack, as detailed by cybersecurity experts Anna Sirokova and Jan Recinsky, was to deceive investors into visiting counterfeit wallet provider websites, intending to pilfer their crypto assets.\n\nThe phishing campaign resulted in 5,576 compromised accounts linked to users on Binance, a popular cryptocurrency exchange. Moreover, the recovered logs also revealed instances of deceptive emails impersonating Crypto.com. Notably, the majority of the phone numbers in the initial lists pertained to German mobile subscribers, with additional directories covering Hong Kong, Bulgaria, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canadian fintech companies, and other Ledger-related resources.\n\nPhishing and social engineering tactics have been the primary catalyst for losses in the crypto industry during the first quarter, accounting for $306 million out of a total loss of $482 million, as reported by blockchain security firm Hacken. The Asterix campaign specifically leveraged fake support emails and phone inquiries, enticing victims to engage with counterfeit apps masquerading as Ledger, Trezor, and Exodus wallets.\n\nAttackers communicated with their targets through bogus support communications and telephone inquiries, aiming to extract sensitive information such as seed phrases. The full \"kill chain\" of the operation, spanning acquisition to exfiltration, was outlined by Rapid7.\n\nEarlier this year, Trezor, another prominent wallet provider, suffered a breach exposing personal data of approximately 14,000 users through its shipping partner, ShipMonk. In July, an investor lost nearly $1 million after signing a malicious phishing token approval transaction on the Ethereum blockchain. In November 2023, a counterfeit Ledger Live application distributed on the Microsoft Store led to the theft of $588,000 across 38 transactions.\n\nThe Rapid7 report also noted the use of AI tools in the campaign, with artificial intelligence playing a significant role in the phishing endeavor. The recovered artifacts indicated that the attackers employed AI to augment the effectiveness of their deceitful tactics. As phishing attacks remain a persistent threat, prominent figures in the crypto industry, including Binance co-founder Changpeng Zhao, have advocated for enhanced wallet security measures to counteract such scams.",
  "summary": "Rapid7 unveiled a new cryptocurrency phishing campaign targeting 885,000 phone numbers, aiming to steal investors’ holdings by redirecting them to fake wallet provider websites.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}