Connect with us
DAPA Banner

Crypto World

Coinbase, Microsoft and Europol dismantle Tycoon 2FA phishing network

Published

on

Coinbase, Microsoft and Europol dismantle Tycoon 2FA phishing network

Crypto exchange Coinbase teamed up with Microsoft and Europol to take down phishing-as-a-service platform Tycoon 2FA.

Summary

  • Coinbase helped trace blockchain transactions linked to the Tycoon 2FA phishing network, allowing investigators to identify the platform’s alleged administrator and several users of the service.
  • Tycoon 2FA offered a subscription toolkit that enabled criminals to intercept authentication sessions and bypass multi-factor protections.
  • Phishing losses dropped nearly 83% in 2025.

In a Wednesday announcement, Coinbase said that it helped trace blockchain-based transactions linked to the platform, and as a result, law enforcement was able to identify the phishing operation’s alleged administrator and several of its customers.

According to Europol, Tycoon 2FA sold a subscription-based toolkit that helped bad actors intercept live authentication sessions and gain unauthorised access to online accounts, “including those protected by additional security layers.”

Advertisement

Using Tycoon’s phishing toolkit, cybercriminals were able to capture session cookies from authenticated users and therefore access accounts without triggering the multi-factor authentication prompts, Coinbase said.

“We’re actively working to identify Tycoon purchasers and will continue supporting law enforcement efforts focused on the people who bought and used this service to target victims,” it added.

The platform has been active since at least 2023, and by mid-2025, Tycoon 2FA accounted for nearly 62% of all phishing attacks blocked by Microsoft, Europol said.

Advertisement

“At scale, the platform generated tens of millions of phishing emails each month and facilitated unauthorised access to nearly 100,000 organisations globally, including schools, hospitals, and public institutions,” it added.

As previously reported by crypto.news, losses from phishing attacks dropped 83% in 2025 when compared to the previous year. Nevertheless, attackers have continued to use more advanced techniques, including exploits tied to EIP-7702, Permit and Permit2 signatures, and transfer-based attacks.

A separate report from blockchain security firm CertiK flagged that Phishing attacks remained the third most costly attack vector in 2025.

Advertisement

Source link

Continue Reading
Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

Crypto World

Morgan Stanley Sets Bitcoin ETF Fee at Ultra-Low 0.14%

Published

on

Morgan Stanley Sets Bitcoin ETF Fee at Ultra-Low 0.14%

Investment bank Morgan Stanley is seeking to launch its spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund at a 0.14% fee, which would make it the cheapest in the US market and potentially force rivals to cut fees to stay competitive.

The 0.14% fee, proposed in Morgan Stanley’s latest S-1 registration statement on Friday, would be one basis point below the Grayscale Bitcoin Mini Trust ETF (BTC), currently the cheapest in the US market, and 11 basis points below the BlackRock-issued iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (IBIT).

“Big move here. They are not messing around,” Bloomberg ETF analyst James Seyffart said, predicting that the Morgan Stanley Bitcoin Trust (MSBT) is “likely to launch in early April.”

Source: James Seyffart

Fellow Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas said the low fee means that none of Morgan Stanley’s roughly 16,000 financial advisors — which manage $6.2 trillion in client assets — would feel conflicted in recommending the product to its clients.

Given that spot Bitcoin ETFs track the price movements of Bitcoin (BTC), Morgan Stanley’s ultra-low fee could spark a fresh fee war in the $83 billion market, putting immediate pressure on rivals to cut costs or risk losing assets.

Advertisement

Regulatory approval would make Morgan Stanley the first bank to issue a spot Bitcoin ETF, expanding access to Bitcoin exposure for millions of its high-net-worth clients.

“They are the ultimate gatekeepers of rich boomer money,” Balchunas added.

Morgan Stanley previously selected Coinbase and Bank of New York Mellon as the proposed custodians for its Bitcoin ETF.

Morgan Stanley seeking suite of crypto ETFs, banking charter

Morgan Stanley, previously one of the more crypto-hesitant Wall Street firms, filed for the spot Bitcoin ETF in the first week of January, along with a Solana (SOL) ETF.

Advertisement

Related: Bitcoin traders see 53% odds of sub-$66K BTC by April 24 

It then filed papers for a staked Ether (ETH) ETF later that week, and by the end of the month, the bank appointed one of Morgan Stanley’s longest-standing executives, Amy Oldenburg, to lead its digital asset team.

Source: James Seyffart

Morgan Stanley also applied for a national trust banking charter on Feb. 18, seeking to custody certain digital assets and execute purchases, sales and swaps for clients in addition to staking services.

In October, before the investment bank adopted its institutional crypto strategy, it recommended a 2% to 4% allocation to crypto portfolios for investors. It also allowed its financial advisors to recommend crypto funds to clients with individual retirement accounts (IRAs) and 401(k)s.

Magazine: Bitcoin may face hard fork over any attempt to freeze Satoshi’s coins

Advertisement