New phish: hackers impersonate TechCrunch reporters to steal sensitive information
Tech employees are being targeted in a new phishing campaign in which hackers, posing as fake TechCrunch reporters, try to gain access to business networks and sensitive information.
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Tech employees are being targeted in a new phishing campaign in which hackers, posing as fake TechCrunch reporters, try to gain access to business networks and sensitive information, the tech media outlet said on Friday.
- Hackers posing as TechCrunch journalists are targeting tech, crypto, and cloud companies with sophisticated phishing emails.
- Scammers create lookalike domains, mimic reporter writing styles, and craft targeted inquiries to appear legitimate.
- TechCrunch urges email recipients to verify all media inquiries through official channels, as campaign appears linked to persistent threat actor.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
Clearly frustrated with fraudsters “pretending to be our staff when they absolutely are not,” TechCrunch staff kicked off the weekend with its own piece about the impersonation campaign, providing details about what they’ve learned.
And, although this particular scam is not new, staffers say the frequency with which it's been happening of late warrants an official warning to the tech industry.
“These bad actors are using our name and reputation to try to dupe unsuspecting businesses. It drives us crazy and infuriates us on your behalf,” the TechCrunch blog said, adding that the deceptiveness of the exploit spills over into the entire industry, damaging reputations and media trust in general.
Scammers "keep refining their tactics"
Posing as a journalist or event lead, the scammers target their victims via email under the guise of a typical media inquiry, asking for information about company products or attempting to set up further contact by phone, the news outlet explains.
In some of the cases – as witnessed by “sharp-eyed recipients” – the bad actors have even “adopted the identity of actual staff members,” using email extensions that mimic legitimate TechCrunch email addresses.
The technology media outlet provides a list of the fraudulent domains for reference.
From imitating a reporter’s writing style to referencing trends or crafting the perfect media pitch, TechCrunch says the impostors are continuously evolving and perfecting their phishing lures, making it harder for even savvy victims to catch discrepancies.
The bad actors have been observed sharing malicious scheduling links with recipients, as well as trying to get them to divulge proprietary information by peppering the employee with pointed questions.
As in most phishing attacks, the ultimate goal for scammers, most often, is to gain unauthorized access to the target’s systems to steal its data.
The TechCrunch-fueled attacks are believed to be connected to a “persistent threat actor” tracked using similar tactics to “facilitate account takeover (ATO) and data theft, targeting cryptocurrency, cloud, and other tech companies using various pretexts,” it said.
How to protect yourself
TechCrunch has shared several tips for the tech sector to raise employees' awareness so they can stay vigilant and avoid falling victim to the scam.
The news outlet says that if anyone reaches out claiming to be from TechCrunch, the first step is to verify their legitimacy.
Besides checking the list of fake domains above, this can be done in the following ways:
- Check the TechCrunch staff page
- Check the employee’s job description to make sure it matches the pitch or topics the person wants to discuss.
- Contact TechCrunch directly and ask.
Although it can be time-consuming to double-check media inquiries, the news outlet says to remember that the bad guys count on their would-be victims to bypass that extra step.
“By being vigilant about verification, you’re not just protecting your own company – you’re also helping preserve the trust that legitimate journalists depend on to do their jobs,” it said.
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