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Executive Attacks on Social Media Hit All-Time High as Analysts Point to AI

Executive impersonation on social media is at an all-time high as threat actors take advantage of AI to improve and scale their attacks. In Q3, accounts pretending to belong to high-ranking executives on social media climbed to more than 54% of total impersonation volume, surpassing brand attacks for the first time since Fortra began tracking this data. The volume and...
Blog

Social Media Attacks Targeting Banks See Greatest Increase Since 2021

Banks were targeted on social media more in Q2, after the largest spike in activity since 2021, according to Fortra’s PhishLabs. While cybercriminal focus on financial institutions remains high, the average number of social media attacks per business, per month in 2023 is trending lower than in 2022. In Q2 specifically, businesses experienced nearly 18 fewer attacks on social...
On-Demand Webinar

Inside the World of Social Media Phishing: Financial Scams

On a daily basis, most people will use some form of social media. From checking photos of your friends and pets, to communicating with coworkers and loved ones, social media is a large part of the connected world. Unfortunately, this also means that the more social media is used, the more likely that threat actors will try to exploit it. Join us as we discuss how social media...
On-Demand Webinar

Social Media Intelligence: Real World Threats, Real World Impact

Each day, 3.5 billion people use some form of social media. This is close to half of the global population. Because of the wide spread use and adoption of these various platforms, threat actors are increasing the abuse of both the brands and their accounts faster than any other digital medium. Moreover, most platforms lack the necessary security controls to protect their users....
Blog

Common Social Media Scams and How to Avoid Them

While there are an estimated 30,000 daily cyber attacks on business websites, there are roughly ten times as many attacks against social media accounts every single day, equating to roughly 1.4 billion accounts every month. Social media attacks and scams have become pervasive problems, with threat actors finding innovative new ways to deceive users and steal their information....
Blog

Dark Web Focus on Credit Unions Increases in Q1

In Q1, Credit Unions nearly surpassed Banking Institutions as the top targeted industry on the dark web. Just under 36% of stolen card data on dark web platforms was linked to Credit Unions, marking the fourth consecutive quarter the industry has seen an increase in malicious activity. Every quarter, Fortra’s PhishLabs analyzes hundreds of thousands of attacks targeting...
Blog

Social Media Attacks Targeting Banks and Retail Climb in Q1

Social media attacks targeting businesses have jumped 12.2% in Q1 from the previous quarter, according to Fortra’s PhishLabs. Attacks on social channels are also trending higher than Q1 2022, with the average business experiencing more than 81 attacks per month. External platforms, such as social media, are widely used by cybercriminals to engage in fraud and distribute...
Blog

Top Fraudulent Activity Targeting Retail on the Dark Web - Part Two

The dark web is a haven of stolen goods and data, and limited visibility into activity targeting your brand leaves organizations at risk. Malicious behavior takes many forms, and a lack of understanding of what or how an asset is exposed on underground channels can lead to brand damage and financial loss. Detecting stolen data on the dark web is demanding, as navigating...
Blog

Top Fraudulent Activity Targeting Retail on the Dark Web

Bad actors use the dark web to exchange compromised data and goods anonymously, often unnoticed by the victim organization. Malicious activity can manifest in many ways on underground channels and, because of the technical obstacles associated with accessing the dark web, visibility can be limited, making it difficult to know which assets might be at risk. If sensitive...
Blog

Stolen Credit Union Data on Dark Web Hits High in Q4

In Q4, Dark Web activity targeting Credit Unions reached its highest count in five consecutive quarters, according to Fortra’s PhishLabs. Attacks on Credit Unions jumped significantly during the second half of 2022, with threat actors advertising stolen card data from these institutions almost as frequently as National/Regional Banks. Data tied to financial institutions is...
Blog

Impersonation Represents the Top Social Media Threat in Q4

Social media attacks targeting organizations closed out 2022 nearly 19% higher than Q4 of 2021, according to Fortra’s PhishLabs. Social platforms continue to act as a hotbed for malicious activity, leaving organizations of all sizes vulnerable to impersonation and abuse. As of Q4, businesses can expect an average of 72.54 attacks on social media per month. PhishLabs analyzes...
Blog

How to Recognize and Respond to Emerging Social Media Cybersecurity Threats

Facebook. Twitter. Instagram. LinkedIn. YouTube. Pinterest. Mastodon. The list goes on. Whether you love or loathe social media, these platforms have become integral to how we communicate as individuals and businesses. Cybercriminals have also taken note, embracing these communication channels wholeheartedly to reach vast audiences quickly, anonymously, and cheaply,...
Blog

Financials and Card Data Top Q3 Targets on the Dark Web

In Q3, Credit Unions nearly overtook National Banks as the top targeted industry on the Dark Web, according to recent data from Fortra’s PhishLabs. Credit Unions have been increasingly targeted on underground channels, with Q3 2022 representing the highest incident count for the industry in four consecutive quarters. Compromised data associated with Financial Institutions as a...
Blog

Attacks Targeting Businesses on Social Media Jump 40% YoY

In Q3, the volume of social media attacks targeting the average business was 40.4% higher than the same time last year, according to the latest data from Fortra’s PhishLabs. Social media attack volume has grown significantly year-over-year with the average business in 2022 experiencing 84.5 malicious incidents per month versus 50.59 in 2021. Fortra analyzes hundreds of...
Blog

Social Media Mitigation Best Practices for All Financial Institutions

The financial industry continues to experience the largest volume of abuse among all industries on social media. In Q3 banks, credit unions, and other F.I.’s contributed to nearly three-quarters of all attacks on social platforms, with national banks alone more than tripling the volume of the top targeted non-financial, retail. The top threats to financial institutions on...
Blog

Chat-Based Services, Finance, Heavily Abused on the Dark Web in Q2

Nearly half of stolen data on the Dark Web was marketed through Chat-Based Services in Q2 after a sharp increase in illegal transactions, according to the Agari and PhishLabs Quarterly Threat Trends & Intelligence Report. The advertisement and exchange of stolen information on the Dark Web is volatile due to the constant threat of disruption or seizure by authorities. Often,...
On-Demand Webinar

Quarterly Threat Trends & Intelligence Webinar (August 2022)

John Wilson, Senior Fellow for Threat Research at Agari by Fortra Throughout Q2, Agari and PhishLabs detected and mitigated hundreds of thousands of phishing, social media, email, and dark web threats targeting a broad range of enterprises and brands. The Quarterly Threat Trends & Intelligence Report provides an analysis of the latest findings and insights into key trends...
Blog

Fraud, Impersonation Fuel Q2 Increase in Social Media Attacks

In Q2, malicious attacks targeting organizations on social media have increased more than 20% over Q1, according to the latest Agari and PhishLabs’ Quarterly Threat Trends & Intelligence Report. Agari and PhishLabs analyze hundreds of thousands of phishing and social media attacks every quarter to identify the top threats targeting enterprises, their brands, and their...
Blog

Dark Web Disruptions in Q1 Trigger Shift in Illicit Exchanges

In Q1, the exchange of sensitive data on Carding Marketplaces and Forums increased as government seizure of multiple Dark Web sites prompted a shift in where actors conduct illegal activities, according to the Agari and PhishLabs Quarterly Threat Trends & Intelligence Report. These sites specialize in the trafficking of stolen credentials and data such as usernames, passwords,...