Human Risk Management Blog

Social Engineering

Latest social engineering news, analysis, tactics the bad guys are using and what you can do to defend your organization.

New Research Finds Phishing Scams Targeting Popular PDF Viewer

Several phishing campaigns are targeting users of the Foxit PDF Reader, according to researchers at Check Point. Foxit is a popular alternative to Adobe Acrobat Reader for viewing PDF ...

Don't Let Criminals Steal Your Summer Fun

Summer has finally arrived in certain parts of the world, and with it come many exciting events — from the grandeur of the Olympics to the grass courts of Wimbledon, from the electrifying ...

Malicious Use of Generative AI Large Language Models Now Comes in Multiple Flavors

Analysis of malicious large language model (LLM) offerings on the dark web uncovers wide variation in service quality, methodology and value – with some being downright scams.

Cyber Insurance Claims Rise Due To Phishing and Social Engineering Cyber Attacks

New data covering cyber insurance claims through 2023 shows claims have increased while reaffirming what we already know: phishing and social engineering are the real problem.

New Threat Report Finds Nearly 90% of Cyber Threats Involve Social Engineering

Analysis of over 3.5 billion attacks provides insight into where threat actors are placing their efforts and where you should focus your cyber defenses.

Black Basta Ransomware Uses Phishing Flood to Compromise Orgs

Rapid7 reports an interesting social engineering scheme that easily bypasses content filtering defenses and creatively uses a fake help desk to supposedly “help” users put down the attack.

Phishing and Pretexting Dominate Social Engineering-Related Data Breaches

New data shows that despite the massive evolution of the cybercrime economy, threat actors are sticking with the basics in social engineering attacks, with a goal at stealing data.

FBI Warns of AI-Assisted Phishing Campaigns

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI’s) San Francisco division warns that threat actors are increasingly using AI tools to improve their social engineering attacks.

Attackers Leveraging XSS To Make Phishing Emails Increasingly Evasive

Attackers are exploiting Reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) flaws to bypass security filters, according to a new report from Vipre. This technique allows attackers to send benign links ...

Alert: Nova Scotians Hit by Surge of Sophisticated Spear Phishing Scams

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in Nova Scotia is warning of spear phishing attacks that impersonate company managers. The scammers text company employees requesting a payment to ...

Google’s Multi-Party Approval Process Is Great, but Not Unphishable

Like most observers, I celebrated Google’s recent announcement on April 9th about new multi-party approvals for a handful or so of common actions accomplished by super admins in Google ...

Ransomware Detection Time Shortens by 44% as Organizations Attempt to Keep Up with Attackers

New data shows organizations are improving their ability to detect and respond to ransomware attacks, but is it fast enough to make a difference and stop attacks?

Verizon: Nearly 80% of Data Breaches Involve Phishing and the Misuse of Credentials

Innovative analysis of data breaches shows which attack vectors are being used and how they’re enabled, highlighting the roles phishing and credentials play.

The Education Sector Experienced the Highest Number of Data Breaches in 2023

New data from Verizon makes it clear that the Education sector is under attack, but also breaks down which threat actions and patterns are used most.

U.S. Government Warns of North Korean Spear-Phishing Campaigns

The North Korean state-sponsored threat actor Kimsuky is launching spear phishing attacks against individuals working at think tanks and academic institutions in the US, according to a ...

Protecting Your Digital Footprint: The Dangers of Sharing Too Much on Social Media

For most folks, social media has become integral to their daily lives in today's hyperconnected world. They use platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to share their thoughts, ...

Navigating the Masquerade: Recognizing and Combating Impersonation Attacks

With all great power, there comes an equal potential for misuse. Among the sophisticated arsenal of threat actors, impersonation attacks have surged to the forefront, which questions our ...

Phishing Failures: How Not to Phish Your Users

This blog was co-written by Javvad Malik and Erich Kron. Let’s dive into the cautionary world of phishing simulations gone wrong. You know, those attempts to train users not to fall for ...

Targeted Smishing Attacks by Threat Group “The Com” On The Rise

Cyber activity by the group "The Com," which leverages (SIM) swapping, cryptocurrency theft, swatting, and corporate intrusions, is increasing.

The Art of Huh?

One of the best things you can teach yourself, your family, and your organization is how to recognize the common signs of phishing and how to mitigate and appropriately report it.


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