Security | Threat Detection | Cyberattacks | DevSecOps | Compliance

Previously, Trustwave SpiderLabs covered a massive fake order spam scheme that impersonated a tech support company and propagated via Google Groups. Since then, we have observed more spam campaigns using this hybrid form of cyberattack with varying tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTP). Between July and September, we witnessed a 140% increase in these spam campaigns. In this blog, we will showcase the different spam techniques used in these phishing emails.

Our Threat Intelligence team has observed an emerging obfuscation technique, specifically used to make Natural Language Processing (NLP) detection capabilities less effective. Broadly, malicious actors are adding additional characters, break lines, and legitimate links to the end of a phishing email in an attempt to disguise their malicious payloads amongst the noise and evade NLP detection.

This is a burning issue that must be considered by all organizations striving to decrease their cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Keep reading to get familiar with the risks of GenAI utilized for email attacks and how advanced implementations can counterpose malicious activities.

Microsoft warns that threat actors are abusing legitimate file-hosting services to launch phishing attacks. These attacks are more likely to bypass security filters and appear more convincing to employees who frequently use these services. “Legitimate hosting services, such as SharePoint, OneDrive, and Dropbox, are widely used by organizations for storing, sharing, and collaborating on files,” Microsoft says.

The Human Risk Summit has concluded for another year, showcasing an exciting new theme focused on the personalization of security. This year’s discussions highlighted the importance of tailoring security measures to individual needs, with a strong focus on AI, social engineering tactics, and actionable steps organizations can take to strengthen their security strategy.

This malicious tactic enables cybercriminals to sneak into an organization’s email network or other systems without the payloads typically associated with harmful software. The payloadless method leverages harder-to-detect malware delivery techniques and psychological manipulation to execute attacks. It reflects the ingenuity of threat actors and emphasizes the need for organizations to never stop revamping their security strategies.

New research shows that less malicious emails are getting past security scanners to the inbox, but also provides details about how phishing emails are becoming increasingly dangerous. So much of our training is centered around elevating the employee’s state of cyber awareness so that when they do come across that sketchy email or that too good to be true web page, they know better. But it’s only one part of a larger cybersecurity effort within an organization.

In the second quarter of 2024, 877,536 phishing attacks were reported, a marked decrease from the 963,994 attacks reported in the first quarter of the same year. However, this might not be a reason to celebrate just yet, as this reduction might be due to the fact that email providers have made it increasingly difficult for users to report phishing attempts.

A partnering of European and Latin American law enforcement agencies took down the group behind the mobile phone credential theft of 483,000 victims. Someone steals a physical mobile phone and they need to unlock it. But to do so, you need the Apple ID or Google account of the phone’s owner. So, where do you go? Well, it used to be iServer – an automated phishing-as-a-service platform that could harvest credentials to unlock the stolen phones.