Description

As per source, between January and April 2025, a new phishing kit known as 'CoGUI' was responsible for sending over 580 million deceptive emails aimed at stealing login credentials and payment information. These messages impersonated well-known entities including Amazon, Apple, PayPal, Rakuten, government tax departments, and several financial institutions. The campaign reached its peak in January 2025, with 170 phishing operations distributing approximately 172 million emails. Although this month marked the height of the activity, subsequent months continued to see high volumes of phishing attempts. According to researchers from Proofpoint, who uncovered the CoGUI campaigns, this is the most widespread phishing operation they are currently monitoring. While Japan remains the primary target, there have also been smaller campaigns directed toward recipients in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. CoGUI has reportedly been active since at least October 2024, but Proofpoint began tracking its activity from December onward. Initially, similarities were observed between CoGUI and the Darcula phishing kit, which has links to cyber groups based in China. However, further investigation revealed that the two are distinct, although both are employed by threat actors of Chinese origin. The phishing attacks typically begin with an urgent email that appears to be from a trusted brand. These messages contain links that lead to malicious sites hosted on the CoGUI platform. Interestingly, these links are designed to activate only if the recipient matches specific criteria set by the attackers—such as IP address, browser settings, screen resolution, and device type. If the recipient does not meet the conditions, the link redirects them to the legitimate site of the impersonated brand, minimizing suspicion. Proofpoint also discovered that CoGUI has been used in smishing campaigns in the U.S., often using fake toll payment notices as bait. While most of that activity has now shifted to Darcula, CoGUI still supports multiple threat actors, primarily those targeting Japanese users. However, the kit’s accessibility means it could easily be adopted by other cybercriminals, leading to broader attacks in the future. To avoid falling victim, users are advised to avoid clicking on links in unsolicited messages and to verify requests by logging directly into the respective platforms.