GoKawiilMicrosoft, Japan police dismantle YAM Store phishing marketplace
Microsoft and Japan's National Police Agency disrupted a cybercrime operation centered on a marketplace called YAM Store and two phishing kits, CoGUI and Iron Man. Since January 2026, the network had reportedly sent over one billion malicious messages to more than 75,000 organizations in 150+ countries, including 750 million aimed at Microsoft customers, generating tens of millions of dollars for operators.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The scale described suggests phishing-as-a-service operations have industrialized, offering ready-made templates and stolen accounts that lower the barrier for scammers to impersonate banks, police and other trusted organizations. Microsoft's disabling of 20,000 accounts and 100,000 domains, done jointly with a healthcare cybersecurity nonprofit, indicates such takedowns increasingly require cross-industry and cross-border cooperation rather than action by a single company alone.
- The YAM Store marketplace sold stolen Microsoft and Google accounts alongside phishing kits CoGUI and Iron Man.
- Microsoft disabled over 20,000 accounts and blocked more than 100,000 fraudulent domains linked to the network.
- The operation had generated over a billion scam messages and tens of millions of dollars since January 2026, per Microsoft.
Bitdefender Total Security (multi-device) — With billion-message phishing networks getting dismantled but surely more cropping up, having real-time phishing and scam protection on your devices is a smart move. Bitdefender Total Security covers phones and computers alike, catching malicious links before you ever tap them.Stay a step ahead of scammers trying to mimic Microsoft and other trusted brands.
See Bitdefender Total Security (multi-device) on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: theverge.com — Stevie Bonifield, 2026-10-14
Published there as: “Microsoft and Japan took down a cybercrime network behind over a billion scam messages”
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