Japan warned Microsoft of a msg scam in 2025; China link traced months later, 75k firms hit

Japan initially warned Microsoft about a messaging scam in 2025, with an investigation subsequently tracing a China link months later after 75,000 firms were impacted.

In response to the campaign, Microsoft collaborated with the Health Information Sharing and Analysis Center to dismantle the infrastructure supporting three Chinese-language cybercrime stores identified as YAM Store, CoGUI, and Iron Man.

These storefronts were responsible for facilitating over one billion malicious messages globally, highlighting the extensive scale and international reach of the operation.