<!-- mobian-agent-page publisher="dailydev" canonical="https://daily.dev/posts/darkgate-and-pikabot-phishing-campaign-is-using-qakbot-tactics-lqzn5lfun" -->

---
title: DarkGate and PikaBot Phishing Campaign is Using Qakbot...
description: A phishing campaign using DarkGate and PikaBot malware is employing tactics similar to the previously taken-down QakBot operation. The operators behind the...
canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/darkgate-and-pikabot-phishing-campaign-is-using-qakbot-tactics-lqzn5lfun
twitter:card: summary_large_image
twitter:site: @dailydotdev
og:type: website
og:site_name: daily.dev
og:title: DarkGate and PikaBot Phishing Campaign is Using Qakbot Tactics | daily.dev
og:description: A phishing campaign using DarkGate and PikaBot malware is employing tactics similar to the previously taken-down QakBot operation. The operators behind the...
og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/darkgate-and-pikabot-phishing-campaign-is-using-qakbot-tactics-lqzn5lfun
og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/LQzn5lFUn.png
og:image:alt: DarkGate and PikaBot Phishing Campaign is Using Qakbot Tactics
og:image:width: 1200
og:image:height: 630
og:locale: en
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# DarkGate and PikaBot Phishing Campaign is Using Qakbot Tactics

**[Security Boulevard](https://daily.dev/sources/securityboulevard)** · 4 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments

## Summary

A phishing campaign using DarkGate and PikaBot malware is employing tactics similar to the previously taken-down QakBot operation. The operators behind the campaign have adopted hijacked email threads, unique URL patterns, and an infection chain that closely resembles what was used by QakBot affiliates. Additionally, the DarkGate campaign has intensified since the takedown of QakBot, posing a high-level threat with the potential for more sophisticated threats like reconnaissance malware and ransomware.

## Full article

daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: <https://securityboulevard.com/2023/11/darkgate-and-pikabot-phishing-campaign-is-using-qakbot-tactics/>

## Similar posts on daily.dev

- [Don’t just attend KubeCon \+ CloudNativeCon, Merge Forward your experience\!](https://daily.dev/posts/don-t-just-attend-kubecon-cloudnativecon-merge-forward-your-experience--l0rpp73x8) · CNCF · 1 upvotes · 0 comments
- [Announcing H2 2026 KCDs](https://daily.dev/posts/announcing-h2-2026-kcds-m96goajm1) · CNCF · 1 upvotes · 0 comments
- [Two months of Open Community Groups](https://daily.dev/posts/two-months-of-open-community-groups-asf52zhbs) · CNCF · 0 upvotes · 0 comments

---

Tags: [#cyber](https://daily.dev/tags/cyber), [#malware](https://daily.dev/tags/malware), [#phishing](https://daily.dev/tags/phishing), [#qakbot](https://daily.dev/tags/qakbot), [#ransomware](https://daily.dev/tags/ransomware), [#security](https://daily.dev/tags/security)

[View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/darkgate-and-pikabot-phishing-campaign-is-using-qakbot-tactics-lqzn5lfun)

```json
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]}
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"DarkGate and PikaBot Phishing Campaign is Using Qakbot Tactics","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/darkgate-and-pikabot-phishing-campaign-is-using-qakbot-tactics-lqzn5lfun","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/darkgate-and-pikabot-phishing-campaign-is-using-qakbot-tactics-lqzn5lfun"},"datePublished":"2023-11-21T14:31:43.530Z","dateModified":"2024-01-27T02:19:38.001Z","description":"A phishing campaign using DarkGate and PikaBot malware is employing tactics similar to the previously taken-down QakBot operation. The operators behind the...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/f620ff8f4919d1381069416b98b8b774?_a=AQAEufR","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/f620ff8f4919d1381069416b98b8b774?_a=AQAEufR","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"Security Boulevard","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Security Boulevard","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/t_logo,f_auto/v1/logos/3613c832180040de8d85bb29f74395be","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/securityboulevard"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/darkgate-and-pikabot-phishing-campaign-is-using-qakbot-tactics-lqzn5lfun","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":0},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"cyber,malware,phishing,qakbot,ransomware,security","timeRequired":"PT4M"}
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Security Boulevard","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/securityboulevard"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"DarkGate and PikaBot Phishing Campaign is Using Qakbot Tactics"}]}
```

