Security | Threat Detection | Cyberattacks | DevSecOps | Compliance

In 1971, Ray Tomlison developed the first email service while working at The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). This development changed how we communicated. However, even though this was an exceptional tool, it was not very user-friendly, requiring users to have specific software installed on their computers. In 1996, Sabeer Bhatia founded Hotmail, making it the first web-based email messaging service. Exactly one year after Microsoft acquired Hotmail, I opened my first email account.

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 phishing that somehow end up setting off more alarms than a Hawaiian missile alert system. Let's explore why we need to phish our users, but more importantly, how not to phish them. We turn to two of our trusted security awareness advocates Javvad Malik (JM) and Erich Kron (EK) to shed some light on the matter.

Email is a well-known and widely used attack vector for malware distribution, phishing, and many other types of threats. For this reason, we evaluate certain email security practices as part of the Diligence category of risk vectors used to calculate Bitsight Security Ratings. On April 30, 2024, we added a new email security evaluation focused on the use of Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC) records.

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. Phishing messages can have many different looks, traits and narratives. What worked yesterday for the attackers eventually becomes blocked, recognized, and less profitable, and they move on to different tactics.

The US Department of Justice has indicted four Iranian nationals for allegedly launching spear phishing attacks against the US government and defense contractors. In one instance, the hackers compromised over 200,000 employee accounts at a victim organization. “In conducting their hacking campaigns, the group used spearphishing — tricking an email recipient into clicking on a malicious link — to infect victim computers with malware,” the Justice Department said.

Hackers love to trick employees into wiring them money using emails that look legitimate. Here's what you need to know about business email compromise scams.

Managing email services efficiently is essential for any organization’s productivity and security in the modern digital workspace. This blog will discuss Exchange Online administrative tasks and how to streamline their management process. Before we discuss how to manage Exchange Online, we’ll explore its history.

Threat actors are increasingly using generative AI tools to improve their phishing campaigns, according to a new report from Zscaler. “AI represents a paradigm shift in the realm of cybercrime, particularly for phishing scams,” the researchers write. “With the aid of generative AI, cybercriminals can rapidly construct highly convincing phishing campaigns that surpass previous benchmarks of complexity and effectiveness.

Attackers predominantly use phishing attacks to steal and misuse user identities. A global Statista study on employee-reported malicious emails revealed that in the first quarter of 2023, 58.2% of malicious emails were credential theft attacks, 40.5% were impersonation attacks, and 1.3% were malware deliveries. Phishing attacks create a sense of urgency and panic in users, who, as a result, easily fall victim to them.

New data shows phishing attacks are deviating from the traditional focus on technology and retail sectors and are opting for alternate brands with widespread appeal. I’ve covered plenty of reports about brand impersonation and it’s almost always Microsoft on top of the list. And with good reason: access to a Microsoft 365 account can give attackers a foothold and potential access to data, applications and more.