Latest news with #YashGupta
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
H.I.G. Capital Launches GP Solutions Platform
GP-Led Secondaries Fundraise Targeted for Q1 2026 MIAMI , Aug. 6, 2025 /CNW/ -- H.I.G. Capital ("H.I.G."), a leading global alternative investment firm with $70 billion of capital under management, is pleased to announce the launch of its GP Solutions Platform. The launch marks a strategic expansion of the firm's capabilities and reinforces its commitment to the attractive and underserved middle market. Purpose-built to provide tailored liquidity and strategic capital, the platform will leverage H.I.G.'s 32-year track record of delivering flexible and diverse solutions in the middle market. H.I.G. has recruited a seasoned team from Morgan Stanley Private Equity. The team will join H.I.G. later this year to lead H.I.G.'s secondaries fund. Led by Managing Director Dan Wieder, and joined by Managing Director Yash Gupta and Principals Austin Gerber and Joe Holleran, the team brings decades of collective experience and a consistent record of value creation and attractive returns. Their deep expertise will be instrumental in building a differentiated platform focused on GP-Led transactions, an area of rapid growth driven by increased demand for private equity liquidity solutions. "We are thrilled to welcome Dan and this seasoned team to H.I.G.," said Rick Rosen, Co-President of H.I.G. Capital. "Their collective expertise, proven investment acumen, and entrepreneurial mindset are highly complementary to our platform. We believe our secondaries effort will be an exciting and scalable business over the coming years, which aligns seamlessly with our middle market, value-add investment strategy." The fund will focus on executing secondary transactions, providing investors with access to high quality, seasoned assets and shorter durations compared to traditional primary funds. It will primarily target GP-Led opportunities across geographies, sectors, and strategies, benefiting from H.I.G.'s extensive investment resources, including H.I.G.'s middle market origination network and disciplined underwriting capabilities. H.I.G. aims to deliver attractive, risk- adjusted returns by leveraging its global platform, proven operational expertise and deep sector knowledge. About H.I.G. Capital H.I.G. is a leading global alternative investment firm with $70 billion of capital under management.* Based in Miami, and with offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Stamford in the United States, as well as international affiliate offices in Hamburg, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Milan, Paris, Bogotá, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Dubai, and Hong Kong, H.I.G. specializes in providing both debt and equity capital to middle market companies, utilizing a flexible, operationally focused, and value-added approach: H.I.G.'s equity funds invest in management buyouts, recapitalizations, and corporate carve-outs of both profitable as well as underperforming manufacturing and service businesses. H.I.G.'s debt funds invest in senior, unitranche, and junior debt financing to companies across the size spectrum, both on a primary (direct origination) basis, as well as in the secondary markets. H.I.G. also manages a publicly traded BDC, WhiteHorse Finance. H.I.G.'s real estate funds invest in value-added properties, which can benefit from improved asset management practices. H.I.G. Infrastructure focuses on value-add and core plus investments in the infrastructure sector. Since its founding in 1993, H.I.G. has invested in and managed more than 400 companies worldwide. The Firm's current portfolio includes more than 100 companies with combined sales in excess of $53 billion. For more information, please refer to the H.I.G. website at *Based on total capital raised by H.I.G. Capital and its affiliates. Contact: Jordan Peer Griffin Executive Managing Directorjpeer@ H.I.G. Capital 1450 Brickell Avenue31st Floor Miami, FL 33131P: View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE H.I.G. Capital View original content to download multimedia:
Cision Canada
4 days ago
- Business
- Cision Canada
H.I.G. Capital Launches GP Solutions Platform
GP-Led Secondaries Fundraise Targeted for Q1 2026 MIAMI , Aug. 6, 2025 /CNW/ -- H.I.G. Capital ("H.I.G."), a leading global alternative investment firm with $70 billion of capital under management, is pleased to announce the launch of its GP Solutions Platform. The launch marks a strategic expansion of the firm's capabilities and reinforces its commitment to the attractive and underserved middle market. Purpose-built to provide tailored liquidity and strategic capital, the platform will leverage H.I.G.'s 32-year track record of delivering flexible and diverse solutions in the middle market. H.I.G. has recruited a seasoned team from Morgan Stanley Private Equity. The team will join H.I.G. later this year to lead H.I.G.'s secondaries fund. Led by Managing Director Dan Wieder, and joined by Managing Director Yash Gupta and Principals Austin Gerber and Joe Holleran, the team brings decades of collective experience and a consistent record of value creation and attractive returns. Their deep expertise will be instrumental in building a differentiated platform focused on GP-Led transactions, an area of rapid growth driven by increased demand for private equity liquidity solutions. "We are thrilled to welcome Dan and this seasoned team to H.I.G.," said Rick Rosen, Co-President of H.I.G. Capital. "Their collective expertise, proven investment acumen, and entrepreneurial mindset are highly complementary to our platform. We believe our secondaries effort will be an exciting and scalable business over the coming years, which aligns seamlessly with our middle market, value-add investment strategy." The fund will focus on executing secondary transactions, providing investors with access to high quality, seasoned assets and shorter durations compared to traditional primary funds. It will primarily target GP-Led opportunities across geographies, sectors, and strategies, benefiting from H.I.G.'s extensive investment resources, including H.I.G.'s middle market origination network and disciplined underwriting capabilities. H.I.G. aims to deliver attractive, risk- adjusted returns by leveraging its global platform, proven operational expertise and deep sector knowledge. About H.I.G. Capital H.I.G. is a leading global alternative investment firm with $70 billion of capital under management.* Based in Miami, and with offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Stamford in the United States, as well as international affiliate offices in Hamburg, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Milan, Paris, Bogotá, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Dubai, and Hong Kong, H.I.G. specializes in providing both debt and equity capital to middle market companies, utilizing a flexible, operationally focused, and value-added approach: H.I.G.'s equity funds invest in management buyouts, recapitalizations, and corporate carve-outs of both profitable as well as underperforming manufacturing and service businesses. H.I.G.'s debt funds invest in senior, unitranche, and junior debt financing to companies across the size spectrum, both on a primary (direct origination) basis, as well as in the secondary markets. H.I.G. also manages a publicly traded BDC, WhiteHorse Finance. H.I.G.'s real estate funds invest in value-added properties, which can benefit from improved asset management practices. H.I.G. Infrastructure focuses on value-add and core plus investments in the infrastructure sector. Since its founding in 1993, H.I.G. has invested in and managed more than 400 companies worldwide. The Firm's current portfolio includes more than 100 companies with combined sales in excess of $53 billion. For more information, please refer to the H.I.G. website at *Based on total capital raised by H.I.G. Capital and its affiliates. Contact: Jordan Peer Griffin Executive Managing Director [email protected] H.I.G. Capital 1450 Brickell Avenue 31st Floor Miami, FL 33131 P: 305.379.2322 SOURCE H.I.G. Capital
Techday NZ
29-05-2025
- Techday NZ
Fake AI social media ads spread malware to millions globally
Mandiant Threat Defense has released research identifying a Vietnam-linked cyber campaign that exploits public interest in artificial intelligence tools by distributing malware via social media advertisements. The research traces the campaign to a group known as UNC6032, which uses paid advertisements on platforms such as Facebook and LinkedIn to draw victims toward counterfeit websites masquerading as well-known AI brands including Luma AI, Canva Dream Lab, and Kling AI. These fake advertisements redirect users to domains designed to closely resemble legitimate AI service platforms. However, instead of offering genuine AI-generated content, these fraudulent websites deliver malware. The malicious software is designed to extract sensitive information such as login credentials, credit card data, cookies, and other personal details from victims' systems. "Our research shows this campaign has already reached millions of users globally. The threat actors have cleverly leveraged the explosive interest in AI tools, combining realistic branding with paid ads on trusted platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn. A well-crafted spoofed website can pose a significant risk to anyone—from consumers to enterprise users," Yash Gupta, Senior Manager at Mandiant Threat Defense, commented. Mandiant reports that the campaign was first detected in late 2024 and has since been monitored across a large number of deceptive advertisements. Mandiant analysts employed transparency resources such as Meta's Ad Library and LinkedIn's Ad Transparency Center to uncover the scale of the activity, which involved more than 30 unique fake domains promoted through thousands of social media ads. Among the findings was a sample of over 120 malicious Facebook ads whose estimated reach exceeded 2.3 million users within the European Union. The attackers ran these campaigns using both fraudulent pages that they created and compromised legitimate accounts, often limiting the lifespan of each campaign to avoid being detected and removed by the platforms' security measures. On LinkedIn, Mandiant detected approximately 10 malicious ads, including content directing users to recently registered domains such as klingxai[.]com, which first appeared in late 2024. Once directed to the spoofed websites, users download a Python-based malware referred to by Mandiant as STARKVEIL. This type of malware enables attackers to deploy multiple information stealers and backdoors on the victims' devices. The malware extracts sensitive data and communicates with operators via channels such as Telegram, facilitating exfiltration of the stolen information to attacker-controlled infrastructure. Mandiant's M-Trends 2025 report notes that compromised credentials are the second most common initial access point for cybercriminals, highlighting the broader risk posed by this type of activity to individuals and organisations alike. "A significant portion of Meta's detection and removal activity began independently in 2024, ahead of our alerts. But with new malicious ads appearing daily, ongoing cross-industry collaboration remains essential to defend users at scale," Gupta said, highlighting the efforts of social media platforms in tackling such threats ahead of external alerts. Mandiant additionally cautions that similar malicious operations are likely to be active on a range of other platforms, as cybercriminal groups continue to adapt their methods in response to detection and removal efforts. The company advises users to exercise caution by avoiding AI tool ads from unverified sources, inspecting URLs prior to downloading software, keeping antivirus and endpoint protection updated, and reporting suspicious advertisements directly to platform providers.
Scoop
28-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Fake AI Tools Lure Social Media Users In Global Malware Scam
Cybercriminals are exploiting the booming interest in artificial intelligence (AI) tools to spread malware through fake ads on Facebook and LinkedIn, a new report has revealed. According to cybersecurity firm Mandiant, a Vietnam-linked hacking group is behind a widespread scam that uses realistic-looking online ads to trick people into downloading malicious software. The ads claim to promote popular AI platforms—like Luma AI, Canva Dream Lab, and Kling AI—but instead redirect users to fake websites designed to steal personal information. 'These attackers are tapping into the public's growing fascination with AI to carry out digital theft,' said Yash Gupta, a senior manager at Mandiant. 'A site that looks like an exciting new AI tool could actually be stealing your passwords, credit card numbers, or social media accounts.' Millions Exposed Mandiant's investigation, which began in late 2024, has uncovered thousands of ads linked to the scam, with many of them reaching audiences in the millions. A sample of 120 Facebook ads targeting European users alone had a combined reach of over 2.3 million people, the report said. The hackers, identified by researchers as UNC6032, use a rotating set of websites and fake business pages to keep the scam alive. In some cases, they also hijack real user accounts to spread the ads. Once a victim clicks the ad and visits the fake AI site, the page appears to offer an AI-generated video or image service. But instead of any real AI functionality, the website automatically downloads malware that installs itself in the background. That malware, known as STARKVEIL, is capable of stealing sensitive data and secretly sending it back to the attackers. Global Victims While the fake ads have been found mostly on Facebook, Mandiant also spotted smaller campaigns on LinkedIn. In one example, a fraudulent website was registered in September 2024 and promoted to tens of thousands of users within a day. Victims include both individual users and employees of businesses across various industries. 'This isn't just a consumer issue,' Gupta said. 'These stolen credentials can give attackers access to corporate networks, making it a risk for organisations too.' Tech Platforms Respond Mandiant says both Meta (Facebook's parent company) and LinkedIn were cooperative and proactive in responding to the findings. Meta had already begun taking down many of the malicious ads and domains before Mandiant alerted them to additional activity. However, the report warns that the threat is far from over. The attackers continue to launch new ads and websites daily, constantly adjusting tactics to avoid detection. How to Stay Safe Experts advise people to be cautious when clicking on social media ads—especially those that promote unfamiliar AI tools. To stay safe: Visit websites directly rather than through ads Double-check URLs before downloading software Use up-to-date antivirus protection Report suspicious ads to the platform The scam is part of a growing trend in cybercrime where criminals take advantage of popular tech trends to deceive the public. With AI tools rising in popularity, experts say this likely won't be the last attempt to turn AI hype into a cyber threat. 'Criminals go where the attention is,' Gupta said. 'Right now, that's AI.'
