Microsoft would like to remind you to be wary of bogus URLs.
A group of suspected Iranian hackers are sending phishing emails that link out to sites like "outlook-verify.net" and "verify-linkedin.net," according to Microsoft. At first glance, those sites might look legit, but they send people to fake websites looking to install malware and scoop up passwords.
Redmond has taken control of 99 internet domains used by the hackers' phishing schemes. It filed a lawsuit in US district court against the anonymous hackers, claiming their spoofed internet domains enabled computer crimes against the company and its customers.
Microsoft then demanded the domain registry companies hand over access to the 99 different domains. After reviewing the evidence, the judge granted the court order.
Redmond has used this same tactic before against suspected Russian hackers. However, today's announcement was directed at an Iranian-linked group called Phosphorus or Charming Kitten. According to Microsoft, the group likes to target governments and businesses, in addition to activists and journalists. Other security researchers have noticed the group going after nuclear experts and US military contractors.
The phishing scheme from Phosphorus works like this: A message will appear claiming a security risk with one of your internet accounts. The message prompts you to enter your password inside a web form, which is actually under the hacker's control. In a variation of the same tactic, Phosphorus masquerades as a friendly contact on social media, and sends you a link that's actually designed to install malware to your PC.
"Both attack methods employ the use of websites that incorporate the names of well-known brands, like Microsoft, to appear authentic," Microsoft VP Tom Burt said in today's announcement. "Websites registered and used by Phosphorus include, for example, outlook-verify.net, yahoo-verify.net, verification-live.com, and myaccount-services.net."
Microsoft is now redirecting traffic from the phishing domains to a company sinkhole, which will analyze the data to better understand Phosphorus' attacks.
The news is a reminder to be careful around your inbox. Some of the most effective phishing attacks claim to come from Google, Microsoft, or Yahoo, with warnings that your account had been breached. But in reality, the whole scheme is a ruse. Enabling two-factor authentication or using a security key can help protect your account in the event your password falls into the wrong hands.