Phishing volumes increase over 30 percent with well-known brands as favorite targets
The latest report from email security and threat detection company Vade shows the volume of phishing emails up 31 percent in the last quarter compared to Q2.
Volumes peaked in July (79.2 million), dipping in August (57.5 million), and rebounding in September (67.2 million). If this pace continues through Q4, phishing volumes in the second half of 2022 are set to exceed those reached in the first half (315 million).
Why cloud fax is better for secure data exchange than email
The constantly-evolving email encryption landscape is a tell-tale clue as to email’s vulnerability. Email service providers and encryption software makers must continually up their game because they know organizations use email to transmit their most sensitive content -- a fact that makes a valuable high-priority target for cybercriminals.
Sending a document via email is like writing it on the back of a postcard and popping it into the mailbox, for it to then be read by every single person who handles it on its journey to its destination. When you click "send" on an email it travels through firewalls, ISPs, servers, virus checkers and even data harvesting bots. It is stored, saved, copied and forwarded multiple times without any form of encryption. What this means is that email can very easily be compromised and the important data contained within it can be read and downloaded by unscrupulous third parties.
Less than five percent of Fortune 500 companies are using the latest email standards
Phishing is one of the most common methods of launching a cyberattack, yet new research from Red Sift shows that only a small percentage of publicly traded companies have fully adopted the latest email standards that could protect them and their customers.
DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance) and BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification) help prevent spoofing and allow businesses to display their logo on authenticated emails.
DuckDuckGo's free email protection beta is now open to all
DuckDuckGo is best known as a privacy-first search engine, but the company also offers other privacy tools, and for the past year it has been testing out an email forwarding servicing.
If you wanted to try this feature out previously, you will have had to join a waitlist, but today the company announces that the beta is open for everyone. I’ve been using the service since day one, and I can definitely recommend it.
Phishing attacks bounce back after pandemic slowdown
After a tailing off during the pandemic, phishing is back, with more attacks spotted in the second quarter of this year than for the whole of 2021.
The latest phishing and malware report from Vade also shows that malware emails decreased 48 percent month-on-month -- down from 32.9 million in March to 17 million in April -- but rebounded 31 percent May, with 22.4 million malware-weaponized emails detected. June saw even higher malware volumes (28.9 million), a 29 percent increase from the previous month.
Stolen data used to launch more effective BEC attacks
New research from Accenture shows that data stolen in ransomware and other cyberattacks is being weaponized in order to carry out business email compromise (BEC) attacks.
Underground forums have sets of credentials for sale for as little as $10 that provide access to genuine corporate email accounts, making malicious emails seem genuine.
Cybercriminals take shortcuts to attack business PCs
Office macros have long been a favorite attack method for cybercriminals but now that Microsoft has started blocking them by default the bad guys have started to turn to other methods.
A new report from HP Wolf Security shows a shift to shortcut (LNK) files being used to deliver malware. Attackers often place shortcut files in ZIP email attachments, to help them evade email scanners.
AI-based security solution protects email and messaging
With more people working remotely, messaging and email have become even more essential tools, but the sharing of sensitive data via these routes also presents risks.
Concentric AI is using this week's Black Hat USA to launch an AI-based solution that protects sensitive data shared as text or attachments across today’s most popular business messaging platforms, including email, Slack, and Microsoft Teams.
Why do we continue to rely on the 'weakest link' to protect our organizations' email?
Email security continues to be a top concern of organizations, with 94 percent of all cyber attacks being delivered through email. As the most frequently used communication channel across all industries -- no wonder threat actors love exploiting it!
The conventional approach to email security is failing. Our latest research found that an average of 75 malicious messages per 100 mailboxes slip past traditional email security filters every month. Consequently, organizations put employees through countless hours of security training with hopes they spot and report these threats to security operations centers. The so-called Human Firewall.
Email threats still managing to evade defenses
New research released today from Cyren shows that business email perimeter defenses are often incapable of preventing well-crafted email attacks.
During an average month, there are 75 malicious messages per 100 mailboxes that slip past email security filters like Microsoft 365 Defender. This means that an enterprise with 5,000 mailboxes would need to detect and respond to 3,750 confirmed malicious inbox threats each month.
BEC attacks get more businesslike to trick users
Business email compromise attacks are up 53 percent over the last year and are increasingly trying to look more like legitimate emails in their use of language.
A new report from Armorblox shows 74 percent of BEC attacks are using language as the main attack vector.
Three out of five organizations lose data due to email errors
Three out of five organizations experienced data loss or exfiltration caused by an employee mistake on email in the last 12 months, according to a new study.
Research from email security company Tessian and the Ponemon Institute shows 65 percent of over 600 IT security practitioners surveyed see email as the riskiest channel, followed by 62 percent for cloud file sharing and 57 percent for instant messaging.
Microsoft 365 targeted as businesses struggle to block email threats
A new study commissioned by email security company Cyren from Osterman Research seeks to understand how businesses using Microsoft 365 for email are being impacted by email-borne security threats, such as phishing, business email compromise (BEC), and ransomware attacks.
It shows security team managers are most concerned that current email security solutions do not block serious inbound threats -- particularly ransomware. Fewer than half of organizations surveyed rank their currently deployed email security solutions as effective.
Google SMTP service exploited to send spoof emails
Most of us don't think too much about the 'From' address field on our emails, it's filled in by your mail program or web service. At the recipient's end security tools can check this against the sending server to verify that the mail is legitimate.
But hold on a second, an SMTP relay server between the server and the inbox allows messages through even though the addresses don't match. This is how organizations send out mass mailings without them getting blocked.
Holiday-themed phishing emails most likely to get clicks
Phishing emails that mention holidays are most likely to entice employees to click, according to security awareness training company KnowBe4.
The Q1 2022 top-clicked phishing report finds successful subjects globally include: 'HR: Change in Holiday Schedule', 'St. Patrick's Day: Employee Behavior/Company Policies', and 'Starbucks: Happy Holidays! Have a drink on us'.
Recent Headlines
Most Commented Stories
BetaNews, your source for breaking tech news, reviews, and in-depth reporting since 1998.
© 1998-2025 BetaNews, Inc. All Rights Reserved. About Us - Privacy Policy - Cookie Policy - Sitemap.