Netskope Threat Labs publishes a monthly summary blog post of the top threats we are tracking on the Netskope platform. The purpose of this post is to provide strategic, actionable intelligence on active threats against enterprise users worldwide.

As organizations continue to re-engineer their data infrastructures to enable efficient, secure productivity for workforces wherever they may be, Netskope is deepening its partnerships with global system integrators who have the experience and worldwide presence to guide those strategic digital transformation projects.

Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are one of the levers used by executive teams to deliver on an organisation’s strategy. They present an opportunity to optimise business and operating models by reshaping product and service portfolios, as well as providing a fast-tracked method of market share growth.

ChatGPT use is increasing exponentially in the enterprise, where users are submitting sensitive information to the chat bot, including proprietary source code, passwords and keys, intellectual property, and regulated data. In response, organizations have put controls in place to limit the use of ChatGPT. Financial services leads the pack, with nearly one in four organizations implementing controls around ChatGPT.

Spending for software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications is projected to grow 17.9% to $197 billion in 2023, then grow another 17.7% to $232 billion in 2024. This rapid growth is being fueled by several factors including the desire to modernize IT environments and enable hybrid workers, who might login from a branch office one day and a hotel room the next.

The weaponization of digital trust involves exploiting an application or tool we use in our daily digital life to perform our business or personal tasks for malicious purposes. It is a technique increasingly used by the threat actors to carry out malicious actions such as the delivery of malware or links to phishing pages.

Cyber threat intelligence is a foundational piece of any organization’s security program, providing defenders with awareness of activities occurring in the threat landscape. Accounting for all threats an organization may face is a daunting and nearly impossible task. Some organizations may take the step to stay informed by following industry leaders or a news service.

ChatGPT use is increasing exponentially among enterprise users, who are using it to help with the writing process, to explore new topics, and to write code. But, users need to be careful about what information they submit to ChatGPT, because ChatGPT does not guarantee data security or confidentiality. Users should avoid submitting any sensitive information, including proprietary source code, passwords and keys, intellectual property, or regulated data.

Netskope Threat Labs is tracking phishing campaigns targeting customers of seven different financial institutions across North, Central, and Latin America, aiming to steal their credentials to make fraudulent transactions. Attackers are abusing the Royal Web Hosting company, which provides a free web hosting plan, to host the malicious pages.

At Netskope, we’ve talked a lot lately about how to safely enable ChatGPT and other generative AI applications such as Google Bard and Jasper. Why? As the saying goes, “There’s no going back.” Generative AI is here to stay and will have a transformative effect on our day-to-day lives whether we’re in technology or not.