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 enterprises and our...

Qbot payloads targeting enterprises contributed to almost three quarters of all email-based malware since the beginning of 2022. Although reported malware activity among families continues to fluctuate dramatically from quarter to quarter, QBot reports in Q1 represent the highest volume of a single malware variety over the past 12 months. Phishing lures delivering payloads remain the primary...

PhishLabs has recently observed attacks targeting enterprises with Emotet payloads for the first time since January , when coordinated efforts by authorities to disrupt operations led this family of threat actors to halt activity. Emotet’s primary function is providing malicious software initial access to compromised systems. It is one of the most widely distributed and well-connected malware...

In Q2, ransomware made headlines with multiple high-profile attacks and tactics. The largest infrastructure shutdown in U.S. history brought the East Coast to a halt, operators doubled up on ransomware strains, and reported attacks are on track to beat 2020, with numbers already surpassing Q1 by 38% . As ransomware continues to drive data loss and fraud for enterprises and their brands, PhishLabs...

Recently, we published a piece highlighting early stage loaders often used in ransomware attacks. One of the most prolific was Emotet, which has since been taken down via a coordinated, multi-national effort . How will this impact the threat landscape? In this post, we take a look at loader activity in the aftermath of the Emotet takedown. Predominant Payloads In 2020, Emotet, Trickbot, and...

Ransomware continues to be one of the most impactful threats to enterprises. Aside from external vulnerabilities, its primary delivery method remains email phishing, with links or attachments containing early stage loaders. These loaders initiate attacks by compromising systems and installing additional malware. PhishLabs has analyzed these early stage loaders and observed a dramatic increase in...

The activist group known as Distributed Denial of Secrets (DDoSecrets) has published almost one terabyte of data originally leaked to dark web sites by ransomware operators. In addition, they are privately making another 1.9 terabytes of stolen data available to journalists or academic researchers. The data is just a portion of the terabytes of stolen emails, documents, and photos that DDoSecrets...

While paying ransoms to cybercriminals remains very controversial, the trend of ransomware groups threatening to leak sensitive data has added another layer of complexity to an already difficult decision. Should organizations pay up? Or should they refuse? According to a recent report, it may not matter. Data stolen in ransomware attacks is frequently becoming public even after the victim has paid...

Threat actors are leveraging stolen data to enhance ransomware attacks. Data leaks and ransomware - once considered two distinct threats - are overlapping into a hybrid tactic known as double extortion. While traditional ransomware attacks deny access to valuable systems and data, double extortion threatens to leak sensitive data if the ransom is not paid. Data Leaks on the Rise In Q1, more than 8...

The digital presence of today's enterprise looks very different than it did earlier in the year. The COVID-19 pandemic is forcing rapid change on how many businesses use technology. From transitioning to remote workforces to delivering new online services, digital transformation initiatives that would normally span years are happening in weeks and months. Under these conditions, the likelihood of...

When the term data leak comes to mind, most enterprises think of the dark web. Although compromised information can damage an organization when distributed through gated and anonymous platforms, we are seeing social channels being used to allow for a more rapid and potentially destructive outcome. These platforms have an overwhelming number of global participants, with almost half of the world's...

This year organizations are estimated to have spent more than $124 billion on security, yet phishing attacks continue to bypass email security technology. Is it possible to proactively stop threats that would otherwise make it past your infrastructure? If you attended our most recent webinar , you know the answer is yes. Before we get into the how , our host and Director of Product Management...

In a recent blog post, we wrote about Vawtrak expanding targets and gaining momentum. Fast forward a few months and the threat is anything but diminishing. Sophos just released a technical report on Vawtrak which discusses the significance of the threat and its Crimeware-as-a-Service model. In December 2014, Vawtrak version 0x38 was released including significant code and configuration changes...