Phishing attacks up 60 percent driven by AI
A new report reveals a year-on-year increase of nearly 60 percent in global phishing attacks, fueled in part by the proliferation of generative AI-driven schemes such as voice phishing (vishing) and deepfake phishing.
The report from Zscaler ThreatLabz shows that in 2023 the US (55.9 percent), UK (5.6 percent) and India (3.9 percent) are the top countries targeted by phishing scams. The high level of phishing in the US is attributable to its advanced digital infrastructure, large population of internet-connected users and extensive use of online financial transactions.
Email still the most popular phishing technique even on mobile
Most incidents of phishing or spoofing on smartphones still happen via email, according to MEF's (Mobile Ecosystem Forum) 9th Annual Trust Study.
The report shows 52 percent of users reporting personal experience of data harm via this channel. Surprisingly, 39 percent of those users still took no preventative measures to protect their online data.
Millennials are key targets for phishing
A new report reveals that millennials are the top targets for phishing attacks, receiving 37.5 percent of phishing emails.
The latest phishing trends report from Egress also highlights the widespread adoption of AI and QR code phishing (quishing). Quishing has risen from 0.8 percent in 2021 to 10.8 percent in 2024, whereas attachment-based payloads halved from 72.7 percent to 35.7 percent in the same period.
Malicious search engine ads drive latest phishing threat
New research from BlueVoyant shows the use of malicious search engine ads is on the rise and poses a significant threat to internet users and companies.
These ads can lead to phishing websites or malware downloads, putting personal, financial and corporate information at risk. For companies, a compromise via phishing can lead to brand reputation damage, financial loss, and loss of customer trust.
IT leaders struggle to keep up with emerging threats
A new report shows that 95 percent of IT leaders say that cyberattacks are more sophisticated than ever and they are unprepared for this new wave of threat vectors.
The survey, of more than 800 IT and security leaders around the world, from Keeper Security reveals that firms are witnessing AI-powered attacks (51 percent), deepfake technology and supply chain attacks (both 36 percent), cloud jacking (35 percent), Internet of Things (IoT) attacks and 5G network exploits (both 34 percent), and fileless attacks (24 percent).
Phishing attacks up 40 percent in 2023
Kaspersky's annual spam and phishing report, released today, shows its anti-phishing system thwarted over 709 million attempts to access phishing and scam websites in 2023 -- a 40 percent increase over 2022.
There's also been a surge in attacks spread via messaging platforms, including 62,127 phishing attempts on Telegram -- a 22 percent increase from the year before. AI platforms, social media services, and cryptocurrency exchanges are the other most-exploited channels.
Successful phishing attacks decline but consequences get worse
A new report shows that 66 percent of organizations in the UK experienced at least one successful phishing attack in 2023 compared to 91 percent the previous year.
However, the study from Proofpoint shows the negative consequences of attacks have soared, with a 30 percent increase in reports of financial penalties, such as regulatory fines, and a 78 percent increase in reports of reputational damage.
Sophisticated phishing campaigns bypass enterprise secure email gateways
A new report from Cofense based on data from its Phishing Detection Center identifies over 1.5 million malicious emails bypassing customers' secure email gateways (SEGs), a 37 percent increase in threats compared to 2022.
The report shows that SEGs struggle to keep pace with sophisticated phishing campaigns and that relying on 'good enough' email security is no longer an option for most enterprises.
The phishing bait you're most likely to take
Phishing is the most common form of cyberattack as criminals seek to obtain credentials to access bank accounts or corporate networks.
Abnormal Security has analyzed which phishing attacks generate the highest click rate and categorized them based on the words included in the subject line.
Employees tricked into downloading remote monitoring software
New research from Malwarebytes reveals that employees are being tricked into downloading remote monitoring and management tools like AnyDesk to open up back doors to corporate networks.
In a standard phishing technique potential victims are targeted via an email or SMS message, personalized to match their roles within the organization. The link in the email goes to what looks like a legitimate bank website with a link to open a chat support session.
Cybercrime tactics evolve to embrace AI and online ads
A new report from BlueVoyant looks at the new risks organisations face from outside the traditional IT perimeters.
In particular, cybercriminals are using AI to create more effective phishing campaigns, and employing online adverts to lure victims to malicious websites.
As-a-Service tools dominate the cyber threat landscape
Malware-as-a-Service (MaaS) and Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) tools now make up the majority of malicious tools in use by attackers, according to a new study.
The report from Darktrace shows malware loaders (77 percent of investigated threats) are the most common tool, followed by cryptominers (52 percent), and botnets (39 percent).
The top phishing themes of 2023
New research from Cofense reveals the most common phishing themes of last year, which offer insight into the threat actor's intentions.
Information analyzed to determine the theme includes the brand being spoofed, any attachment names, rendered attachments in the case of documents or HTML files, and the email body content, plus of course the subject.
Free link checker helps identify malicious websites
Cybersecurity company NordVPN is launching a new, free tool to allow users to check the safety of a website before visiting it.
Link Checker scans a site for different types of malware and delivers a notification about whether it's fake or infected with phishing scams.
81 percent of security pros say phishing is the top threat
A new study finds that that most organizations anticipate phishing (81 percent), malware and ransomware (76 percent), and accidental data loss (63 percent) will be the top security risks over the next six months, followed by social engineering (55 percent) and third-party risks (52 percent).
The report from Fortra looks at the challenges security professionals have faced over the past year, as well as what they plan to focus on next as they continue to embrace digital transformation, new hybrid infrastructures and a challenging security landscape.
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