According to the FBI Internet Crime 2020 Report, phishing scams were the most prominent attack in 2020 with 241,342 complaints reported and adjusted losses of $54 million. In particular, whaling (a highly targeted phishing attack) has been on the rise and is only expected to grow from here. A whaling attack targets high-profile executives with access to valuable information and systems. Let’s take a closer look at whaling attacks and how to stay protected.
Part of operating an effective security program is the ability to never rest upon any previous success. When guarding against an adversary, yesterday’s success is quickly eclipsed by the dynamic shift in the attacker’s tactics. Just as a doctor “rules out” a particular diagnosis, an effective attacker first searches for well-known vulnerabilities using catalogs of offensive exploits. These are part of the attacker’s playbook.
When it comes to making business decisions about new technologies and software adoption into your organization – it’s vital to work with your security team to balance the need for speed without sacrificing security.
Readers Note : This is a summarized post of a detailed write up by the Elastic Security Intelligence and Analytics team. A deep dive on UAC Bypass is available to read here.