Tackling the social engineering bonanza caused by the Microsoft Exchange hack [Q&A]
In early March, Microsoft disclosed that Chinese hackers had exploited software vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange on-premises servers to gain access to the email accounts of thousands of Microsoft customers.
While these companies are now laser-focused on deploying patches and other security measures to remediate the vulnerabilities in their email software, Josh Douglas, VP of product management -- threat intelligence at Mimecast, believes these technical fixes will only go so far.
When phishing phails to phool
Phishing attacks are getting more sophisticated and therefore harder to spot. However, there are still times when the phisherfolk don't do themselves any favors, making their attempts at deception amusingly obvious.
Email security company GreatHorn has launched a new blog series called Phishing Phails which looks at some of the less successful examples of phishing bait.
Credential phishing on the rise with Office 365 a top target
New research from Menlo Security reveals that numbers of fake login pages and forms looking to steal credential are on the increase.
The majority of attacks are serving Outlook and Office 365 logins, reflecting the widespread use of these services across corporate environments.
Three billion spoofed emails sent each day
A new report looking at trends in DMARC adoption shows that while take up of the identity verification technology is increasing, three billion messages per day are still spoofing the sender's identity.
The study from Valimail shows that email remains a favourite attack route, implicated in over 90 percent of all cyberattacks with the pandemic providing a new focus.
Return to offices means new opportunities for phishing
The move to home working provided new opportunities for phisherfolk, but as many people start to return to their offices the attackers are pivoting to exploit that too.
A new report from email phishing protection specialist INKY shows attacks are capitalizing on vulnerability and the desire for accurate information about returning to the office in-person.
Cybercriminals keen to cash in on vaccine interest
The past few months have seen plenty of news surrounding COVID-19 vaccines, from the buzz surrounding roll outs to fears of possible side effects.
As always with a major news event cybercriminals seek to exploit the opportunity it presents. Cloud-native email security company GreatHorn has identified a new pattern of techniques being used to exploit the unease of vulnerable email users by spoofing critical vaccine information.
Phishing campaign uses US tax season to lure victims
Researchers at Cybereason have detected a new campaign targeting US taxpayers with documents that purport to contain tax-related content.
These deliver NetWire and Remcos -- two powerful and popular RATs which can allow attackers to take control of the victims' machines and steal sensitive information. The malicious documents used are roughly 7MB in size, which allows them to evade traditional AV mechanisms and heuristic detection.
Secure web gateway allows isolation of mobile devices
As mobile device usage continues to grow within enterprises the security risk increases too. Mobile browsers get patched less often and other threats come from phishing and malicious document downloads.
To combat these problems Menlo Security is extending its cloud-based Secure Web Gateway (SWG) to include web isolation for mobile devices.
Zero trust helps protect shift to remote work
A new report from Akamai looks at the technology shifts and usage patterns of 2020 noting a 30 percent jump in internet traffic thanks to COVID-19 lockdowns.
It also highlights criminals taking advantage worldwide, targeting all business sectors and industries, including information technology and security.
Business applications targeted in phishing campaigns
Business-related applications such as Zoom, Microsoft and DocuSign, now account for 45 percent of impersonation-related phishing attacks as cybercriminals seek to cash in on the vulnerabilities of remote work.
This is one of the findings of a new report from email security company GreatHorn which collected data from over 580 participants working across a diverse set of roles within the information technology security market.
Microsoft, Facebook and PayPal are the most phished brands
During 2020 Microsoft maintained its position as the brand most often found in phishing emails, followed by Facebook and PayPal.
Email defense specialist Vade Secure has released its 2020 Phishers' Favorites report which also shows that cloud services overtook financial services to become the most impersonated industry, whilst cynical hackers have been quick to exploit the COVID-19 pandemic.
2020 mobile phishing trends
Phishing is nothing new, but the COVID-19 pandemic has seen an increase in attacks around the world as cybercriminals seek to exploit the opportunities offered.
Mobile security company Zimperium has produced an infographic looking at phishing trends with a particular emphasis on the mobile sector.
Careless scammers leave stolen passwords exposed online
Hackers responsible for a large-scale phishing campaign unintentionally left over a thousand sets of stolen log-in credentials accessible to the public via a simple Google search.
The error was uncovered by researchers at Check Point. and Otorio. The stolen credentials were stored in designated web pages on compromised servers.
Firmware attacks, sophisticated ransomware and ID fraud -- cybercrime predictions for 2021
2020 has seen cybercriminals step up their efforts to exploit the surge of people working from home, as well as seeking to exploit news and information about the pandemic.
This is a notoriously difficult area to predict, but what do experts think we’ll see happening in 2021?
Spammers get better at pretending to be banks
As always, spammers and cybercriminals seek to take advantage of the peak online shopping season covering Black Friday and the Christmas holidays.
The Bitdefender Antispam Lab has identified a series of campaigns impersonating online banking and financial organizations. In October six in 10 emails (58.84 percent) relating to the banking industry were fraudulent.
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