Phishing-as-a-Service (PhaaS) has entered a new era in 2025, exemplified by Haozi a highly automated, subscription based phishing platform that strips away the technical barriers to cybercrime.
While legacy phishing kits required manual configuration and command-line expertise, Haozi’s web-based control panel makes launching sophisticated phishing campaigns as easy as operating any popular Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution.
Unlike competing toolkits such as the AI-enabled Darcula suite which still necessitate some command-line interaction Haozi’s frictionless setup is entirely web-driven.
Attackers purchase a server, enter credentials into Haozi’s public-facing panel, and the platform handles backend installation, deployment, and dashboard access without the user needing to execute a single shell command.
“Haozi’s plug-and-play model represents a fundamental shift, lowering the skill floor for cybercrime while increasing scale and impact,” said threat researchers monitoring the PhaaS landscape.
At its core, Haozi is built to emulate the user experience of legitimate SaaS management consoles, but for illicit phishing campaigns. The system consists of three main user flows:
# No commands required # Installation triggered via web interface The attacker receives admin credentials upon completion and can immediately access the campaign management dashboard.Haozi’s toolset enables highly deceptive social engineering attacks. Notably, its phishing templates can:
The operational ease of Haozi has led to widespread adoption. Netcraft has identified thousands of Hàozi xìtǒng admin panels active on malicious domains.
Telegram-based marketing showcases kit features, routinely demonstrating 2FA phishing and advanced card validation flows.
The platform’s financial success is clear. Since its relaunch in late April 2025, the cryptocurrency wallet linked to Haozi has processed more than $280,000 in transactions—primarily via Tether (USDT).
Pricing models include annual subscriptions (around $2,000 per user), shorter-term access, and paid advertising for third-party criminal services.
While Haozi’s backend scripts are proprietary, campaign logic can be abstracted as:
pythonif victim_submits_card():
show_loading()
if card_valid():
if operator_requests_2FA():
prompt_2FA()
else:
complete_transaction()
else:
show_error()
Haozi’s rise illustrates the SaaSification of the criminal underground—providing accessible, scalable, and fully supported tools for launching large-scale phishing attacks.
As organizations harden technical defenses, user-centric and social engineering-based phishing is thriving, democratized by platforms like Haozi.
Security teams must adapt, focusing defenses not just on technical vulnerabilities, but also on monitoring for phishing infrastructure at scale and educating end users about these ever-more-convincing scams.
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