Threat Actor: Cybercriminals | cybercriminals
Victim: Z-Library Users | Z-Library Users
Price: N/A
Exfiltrated Data Type: Personal information, passwords, cryptocurrency wallet addresses, payment details
Key Points :
- Data breach affected nearly 10 million users of the phishing clone Z-lib.
- Exposed database contained information on 9,761,948 users collected by cybercriminals.
- Fraudsters impersonated the legitimate Z-Library, collecting sensitive user data over time.
- Passwords were encrypted using the bcrypt algorithm, complicating but not preventing cracking.
- Compromised cryptocurrency wallets were found on Bitcoin and Monero blockchains.
- Users are advised to change passwords and secure their accounts to mitigate risks.
On the popular pirate e-book site Z-Library, or rather its phishing clone Z-lib, created in late 2022, there was a recent data breach affecting nearly 10 million users.
On June 27, 2024, the Cybernews research team discovered an exposed database containing information on 9,761,948 users. These data belonged to the cybercriminals operating the fake version of Z-Library.
Posing as the legitimate site, the fraudsters collected personal information, passwords, cryptocurrency wallet addresses, and payment details from users over an extended period. Worse still, the perpetrators inadvertently exposed all these data. Researchers have confirmed the authenticity of this information.
The Z-lib site, created shortly after the original Z-Library domains were seized by U.S. authorities in November 2022, is a phishing resource that collects credentials and solicits payments. In their Telegram channel, the cybercriminals even impersonated the legitimate owners of Z-Library, claiming their site was the only official one.
The phishing Z-lib was actively used: one of its domains had 10.7 million visitors per month, while another had 7.6 million. Meanwhile, attempts to block and seize the domains of the original Z-Library continue, contributing to the rise in the popularity of fake sites.
“The sheer amount of compromised accounts in this leak is almost unprecedented,” stated Cybernews researchers. According to them, the number of compromised accounts on the fake Z-lib site exceeds the number of users of the original site before its closure. Notably, until now, the record for data breaches in digital piracy was held by The Pirate Bay, when hackers exposed data on 1.5 million users in 2007.
The Z-lib breach occurred because the cybercriminals’ web server had directory listing enabled, allowing any user to view a list of all files on the server. Among these files was the database containing millions of user’s personal information, created on June 20, 2024.
Passwords were encrypted using the bcrypt algorithm, which complicates cracking but does not make it impossible. Researchers also confirmed the existence of compromised cryptocurrency wallets on the Bitcoin and Monero blockchains. Users registered on the fake site regularly received spam with malicious links, posing a significant threat to security and privacy.
Given that the breach affects nearly 10 million people, its consequences could be quite serious. Affected users are advised to take protective measures to safeguard their data and assets. Such measures include changing passwords, blocking malicious email addresses, ceasing to use compromised cryptocurrency wallets, and switching to more secure email services.
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Original Source: https://securityonline.info/10-million-users-compromised-in-z-library-phishing-site-hack/