Spamming Tools are a Commodity in the Criminal Underworld

Feb 25, 2020 8:21:25 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

Cheap and easy-to-use phishing kits and other social engineering tools are readily available for purchase on the black market, according to researchers at Digital Shadows. Criminals ...

WSJ: "Losing $450,000 in Three Days: Hackers Trick Victims Into Big Wire Transfers"

Feb 24, 2020 12:32:09 PM By Stu Sjouwerman

Rachel Louise Ensign wrote a great story for the WSJ about CEO Fraud, also known by the FBI as Business Email Compromise. I'm quoting an extract and I strongly recommend sending a link to ...

[EYE-OPENER] Dutch Minister Of Justice And Security: "Fighting Phishing Starts With Awareness"

Feb 24, 2020 8:00:01 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

"The fight against phishing starts with raising the awareness of internet users, stated Justice and Security Minister Grapperhaus. He responded to figures from Dutch banks showing that ...

[Heads-up] Ransomware Criminals Hack An Accounting Company And Cause A Data Breach For Their Customers

Feb 24, 2020 7:00:00 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

Last December, a ransomware infection of Albany, New York-based accounting firm BST & Co. CPAs LLC exposed the confidential data of their customers, causing a data breach for one of ...

New Spear Phishing Campaign Targets 27 Famous Brands With Malicious SLK Files

Feb 20, 2020 6:04:08 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

A new spear phishing campaign is targeting twenty-seven companies around the world with malicious SLK (Symbolic Link) files, according to BleepingComputer. The attackers pose as a real ...

Catphish and Honey Traps

Feb 19, 2020 8:25:28 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

Hundreds of Israeli soldiers had their phones compromised by malware after falling for catfishing attacks purportedly launched by Hamas, Forbes reports. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) ...

A U.S. Natural Gas Operator Shuts Down For 2 Days After A Phishing Attack Infects It With Ransomware

Feb 19, 2020 6:29:18 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

Dan Goodin at Ars Technica reported something worrisome: "A US-based natural gas facility shut down operations for two days after sustaining a ransomware infection that prevented ...

[Heads-up] The World Health Organization Warns of New Coronavirus Phishing Attacks. Inoculate Your Employees!

Feb 18, 2020 7:09:15 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

The World Health Organization (WHO) is putting out an alert about ongoing Coronavirus-themed phishing attacks that impersonate the WHO and try to steal confidential information and ...

It Only Takes One Phish: Phishing Attack Results in Network Infiltration, IT Incompetence, and $217,000 in Paid Ransom Fees

Feb 17, 2020 8:24:14 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

The recent attack on a Dutch university demonstrates much of what IT organizations shouldn’t do to avoid an attack.

This is the Phone Company: Give us Your D.O.B, Your Firstborn Child...

Feb 17, 2020 8:19:43 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

SMS scammers are posing as Verizon Wireless and sending text messages telling recipients to click a link to validate their account security, according to Chris Hoffman at How-To Geek. ...

Cyberattacks in 2019 Cost over $3.5 Billion in Victim Losses with Business Email Compromise Taking in Half

Feb 14, 2020 8:35:19 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

The FBI’s annual year-in-review breaks down how 467,000 cyber attacks succeeded in taking consumers and businesses alike for billions of dollars.

It Only Takes One Phish: Puerto Rico Gets Scammed Out of $2.6 Million

Feb 14, 2020 8:29:58 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

Once again, it was the human factor and skilled phishing tactics from the bad guys that was responsible for such a material loss. And, from the sound of it, policy and procedure either ...

Phishing Remains the Most Frequent Attack Vector Used for Initial Access

Feb 13, 2020 8:27:47 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

With cybercriminals always looking for the most successful way to carry out a successful attack, phishing once again proves to be one of the most adaptable and viable attack vectors.

Organizations Beware! Cyberattacks are Becoming More Prevalent, Hitting More Device OSes, and are Shifting Focus to You

Feb 13, 2020 8:25:33 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

The latest data from Malwarebyte’s annual State of Malware Report shows increases almost across the board, showing that the bad guys are stepping on the gas into 2020.

PayPal Phishing for Passports and More

Feb 13, 2020 8:21:57 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

An ongoing PayPal phishing campaign is trying to steal a wide range of personal information, including Social Security numbers and passport photos, Threatpost reports. The scams were ...

DOJ Charges Hackers from the Chinese People Liberation Army with 2016 Equifax Data Breach

Feb 12, 2020 6:42:42 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

Four hackers have been charged with hacking the U.S. credit reporting agency where data on U.S. citizens and proprietary Equifax secrets were stolen.

Email Account Takeover Attacks Get Smarter, Sophisticated, and More Patient

Feb 12, 2020 6:38:46 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

New data from Barracuda shows attackers take their time to leverage the credential compromise and to avoid detection when taking over email accounts.

FTC Alert: Coronavirus Scammers Love Scary Bad News

Feb 11, 2020 4:19:10 PM By Stu Sjouwerman

Scary news stories in the headlines always bring out the bad guys looking to make a quick illegal buck.

Phishing Attacks Use Victim Interest in Oscar-Nominated Movies to Steal Credit Cards, Install Malware

Feb 7, 2020 4:28:45 PM By Stu Sjouwerman

People wanting to watch high-profile movies are the latest target in scams that trick users into offering up credit card details for a chance to download films not yet available for ...

Trenton School Treasurer Spots a 'Phishing Expedition'

Feb 7, 2020 8:47:46 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

Someone went on a ‘phishing expedition’ trying to trick a Trenton School Board of Education member into transferring thousands of dollars into their account, but a Trenton School ...

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