WordPress Sites Turned Weapon: How VexTrio and Affiliates Run a Global Scam Network
Jun 12, 2025
Threat Intelligence / Malware
The threat actors behind the VexTrio Viper Traffic Distribution Service (TDS) have been linked to other TDS services like Help TDS and Disposable TDS, indicating that the sophisticated cybercriminal operation is a sprawling enterprise of its own that's designed to distribute malicious content. "VexTrio is a group of malicious adtech companies that distribute scams and harmful software via different advertising formats, including smartlinks and push notifications," Infoblox said in a deep-dive report shared with The Hacker News. Some of the malicious adtech companies under VexTrio Viper include Los Pollos, Taco Loco, and Adtrafico. These companies operate what's called a commercial affiliate network that connects malware actors whose websites unsuspecting users land on and so-called "advertising affiliates" who offer various forms of illicit schemes like gift card fraud, malicious apps, phishing sites, and scams. Put differently, these malicious traffi...
