Thursday 25 September 15:00 - 15:30, Red room
Stefan Tanase & Ionut Bucur (CSIS Security Group)
Building on last year's investigation into a massive Chinese package redelivery smishing syndicate, this presentation delves deeper into one of the key actors briefly touched on in the previous research.
PepsiDog is a threat actor that exemplifies a new level of professionalism, operating as a "developer-first" entity in the phishing ecosystem. By selling advanced phishing kits and offering phishing-as-a-service (PhaaS), they provide tools that enable global targeting of individuals and institutions, often through package redelivery scams.
This research highlights how this actor differs from others in scale, sophistication, and operational structure, demonstrating the ongoing evolution of threat actor capabilities. A day in the life of a threat researcher investigating this group will offer attendees a behind-the-scenes look at the challenges of unravelling their operations.
Additionally, we'll explore their technical innovation, the expanded adoption of new cash-out mechanisms, and how their kits are being sold and deployed globally.
Key findings and updates for attendees include:
This session, tailored for both technical and non-technical audiences, will provide actionable insights into the professionalization of cybercrime and offer strategies for detecting and defending against such advanced threats.
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Stefan Tanase Stefan Tanase is an experienced security researcher based in Bucharest, Romania. Having spent the last two decades combating the world's most sophisticated cyber threats, Stefan joined CSIS Security Group in 2019 as Cyber Intelligence Expert, part of the eCrime Unit. Through innovative research projects and effective public speaking engagements, he actively contributes to keeping internet users safe. While Stefan specializes in collecting threat intelligence and monitoring the cybercrime ecosystem, he has a real passion for digital rights and internet privacy.
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Ionut Bucur Ionut is a cybersecurity professional who started his journey with an interest in red teaming and penetration testing. Through his initial experiences in the domain, he gained valuable insights into cyber vulnerabilities and attack methodologies. His interests shifted when he recognized the potential magnitude mobile threats could reach in an increasingly digital world. Driven by a desire to make a difference and better protect people's sensitive data, Ionut pivoted to the realm of mobile cybersecurity and threat intelligence. Today, as a security researcher at CSIS, Ionut uses his knowledge and experience to constantly drive CSIS's threat intelligence and research efforts forward. |
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