Hackers Targeted US Private Equity, Other Firms Including Blackstone, CME, Data Shows
Google said the hackers used phone scams and fake websites to steal employee credentials, and some companies paid ransoms.
- On Thursday, Google reported that hackers operating under names including Redact, Pink, Falcon, and Helix targeted dozens of U.S. financial institutions and businesses over the past month using phone-based social engineering tactics.
- Attackers impersonate help desks, directing employees to booby-trapped websites like "passkeyhelpdesk" to harvest passwords and multifactor authentication codes live over the phone, then hijack accounts before calls end.
- Reuters identified 72 malicious websites targeting firms including Blackstone, Apollo, and TPG. Austin Larsen, principal threat analyst at Google's Threat Intelligence Group, said, "Really it's a money thing," noting hackers target organizations with sensitive data worth paying to protect.
- Lee Clark, a cyberthreat intelligence manager with the Hospitality ISAC, emphasized the human vulnerability: "That human element consistently is why this has exploded in the way it has."
- Experts warn that low-tech tactics remain highly effective despite sophisticated security programs. Larsen cautioned, "Sophisticated is not the right word," challenging assumptions about the campaign's technical complexity.
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37 Articles
Top US hedge funds targeted by major vishing campaign — Blackstone, KKR and CME among those under fire
Google’s Threat Intelligence team links BlackFile (now Redact) to phishing and extortion attacks on major hedge funds and law firmsGroup impersonates IT staff by phone, steering victims to spoofed login pages to steal SaaS credentials and tokens, then exfiltrates sensitive dataTargets include Blackstone, KKR, Apollo, CME Group, and firms like Paul Hastings; Google tracked $10.7 million flowing into 18 crypto wallets between January–May 2026Some …
The Independent
The Independent (US)Ransom-seeking hackers set their sights on Wall Street’s private equity firms: report
Ransom-seeking hackers employing phone calls to compromise their targets have set their sights on dozens of prominent U.S. financial institutions and other businesses over the past month, according to findings from Google and internet intelligence data reviewed
Google security researchers announced in a report published on Thursday that groups of unknown hackers have targeted and infiltrated major financial and investment companies in the United States.
They target dozens of U.S. financial companies: according to a report, hackers try to get passwords from employees, using a certain tactic that shows how effective simple deceptions can be despite sophisticated security programs.
In order to extort ransom, hackers tried to reach employees' passwords by calling them. This is evident from a Google report. Previously, they apparently targeted companies like Uber and Levi Strauss.
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