The US FBI and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have released a joint advisory warning of a social engineering campaign that’s targeting the healthcare industry. “Threat actors are using phishing schemes to steal login credentials for initial access and the diversion of automated clearinghouse (ACH) payments to US controlled bank accounts,” the advisory states.

France’s cybersecurity agency ANSSI has issued an alert outlining a Russian spear phishing campaign targeting French diplomats, the Record reports. The agency attributes the campaign to “Nobelium,” a threat actor tied to Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (the SVR).

If you had to choose between regular cybersecurity training and simulated phishing testing, the data shows you should choose simulated phishing tests. When the security awareness training (SAT) industry started over a decade ago, there was some controversy about whether simulated phishing tests should be conducted. The idea of simulated phishing testing was relatively new and some people took them as not only unusual, but potentially unethical and unneeded.

The BBC recently reported that Booking.com is warning that AI is driving an explosion in travel scams. Up to 900% in their estimation - making it abundantly clear that while AI can be a force for good, it can also be a formidable weapon in the arsenal of cybercriminals. One of the most concerning trends we've observed is the increasing use of AI by cybercriminals to carry out sophisticated phishing attacks.

Over 11 million phishing attacks have been reported to the UK’s Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS) over the past year, according to new data from Action Fraud. The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre has also taken down more than 329,000 phishing sites since the SERS program started in 2020.

A crafty group of cybercriminals has been relentlessly pursuing Mexican banks, cryptocurrency platforms and other organizations in an extended campaign stretching back over two years. Their weapon of choice? A heavily customized version of the AllaKore remote access trojan (RAT). These threat actors are ruthlessly targeting any large Mexican enterprise they can get their hands on. With a sweet spot for companies pulling in over $100 million in annual revenue, they're not messing around with small fry.

My hacker story does not paint me in the best light, and it is not intended to. I am a firm believer in sharing one's mistakes and being open to learning from them. My incident taught me so much, and many years later, I am still benefiting from the learning opportunities. As the wise quote goes, "We have met the enemy, and they are us" — a sentiment that perfectly sums up my experience.

A new report from Barracuda has found that email conversation hijacking attacks have risen by 70% since 2022. Additionally, business email compromise (BEC) attacks accounted for 10.6% of social engineering attacks in 2023, compared to 8% in 2022 and 9% in 2021. These attacks require more effort on the part of attackers, but they typically have a much higher payout than other forms of social engineering.

In this mad, mad world of breaches, organizations are scrambling to keep their heads above water. It's like trying to navigate a minefield while blindfolded and riding a unicycle — one wrong move, and everything goes up in flames. So, how do you know your security controls are up to the task of defending your organization? This is where red teaming comes in.

Scammers are now impersonating legitimate services like Booking.com and Kayak to target people planning their summer vacations. One out of every 33 vacation-themed domains registered last month was malicious, researchers at Check Point warn. “In May 2024, Check Point Research (CPR) detected a significant surge in summer-related cyber scams, highlighting the need for travelers to stay informed and proactive in safeguarding their personal information,” the researchers write.