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Operation ASTERIX: Anatomy of a Crypto Fraud Pipeline

released on 2026-08-18 @ 07:15:30 AM
Researchers identified an exposed web directory on infrastructure supporting a cryptocurrency fraud operation tracked as Operation ASTERIX. The server contained phone-number datasets, account-validation tools, phishing panels, voice-dialing scripts, and fake wallet applications for Ledger, Trezor, and Exodus. The operator validated approximately 885,000 phone numbers against cryptocurrency exchange accounts, achieving a 13.6% hit rate on German numbers. Victims received coordinated phishing emails and vishing calls referencing fake support cases before being directed to counterfeit wallet applications designed to steal recovery phrases via Telegram exfiltration. Notable findings include extensive use of AI coding assistants throughout development, including GitHub Copilot and Claude Code. When one AI model resisted malicious requests, the operator switched providers and attempted to bypass safety controls using a structured jailbreak prompt targeting the model's reasoning patterns and safety mechanisms.