Cybercriminals continue to heavily abuse domains to launch phishing attacks. PhishLabs’ analysis of Q1 phishing attacks has found that: 96% used Legacy Generic (gTLD) or Country Code (ccTLD) Top-level Domains Almost 83% abused HTTPS Domain Validated (DV) Certificates were used 94.5% of the time For this analysis, PhishLabs looked at three categories of TLDs: Legacy gTLDs, ccTLDs, and New gTLDs. >>...

In Q1, PhishLabs analyzed hundreds of thousands of phishing attacks and found more than 62% abused legitimate no-cost tools or services. >> Access the Report In this post, we take a look at findings from our Q1 Threat Trends and Intelligence Report and review the free services that were most commonly abused to stage phishing sites. Methods of Staging Phishing Sites Free Domain Registration In Q1...

In Q1, PhishLabs analyzed and mitigated hundreds of thousands of phishing attacks that targeted corporate users. In this post, we break down these attacks and shed light on the phishing emails that are making it into corporate inboxes. Threats Found in Corporate Inboxes Credential Theft Credential theft attacks continue to be the most prolific threats observed in corporate inboxes. In Q1, nearly...

Phishing is on the rise. PhishLabs identified 47% more phishing sites in Q1 of 2021 than there were in Q1 of 2020. This trend is continuing as Q2 attacks are also up significantly year-over-year. Last year, phishing spiked in late Q1 and Q2 as threat actors took advantage of pandemic-related fear and uncertainty. This year, we are seeing an even greater increase in attacks. Closer Look: Of the...

Phishing attacks in Q1 have increased 47% compared to last year, according to PhishLabs newly released Q1 2021 Threat Trends & Intelligence Report. The report uses data collected from hundreds of thousands of attacks analyzed and mitigated by PhishLabs in Q1 to identify top threats targeting enterprise brands, and determine emerging trends throughout the threat landscape. Key findings of the Q1...

Threat actors routinely impersonate brands as part of their attacks. Brand abuse can occur anywhere online, and impersonating a reputable company automatically gives credibility to a threat that might otherwise be instantly identified as suspicious. Because brand impersonation is so broadly used across the threat landscape, security teams need to have complete visibility into the top brand threats...

Digital brand protection is defined as comprehensive intelligence sourcing and mitigation of external threats targeting your brand. Digital brand abuse can occur anywhere online. Therefore, it is necessary to have proactive and comprehensive detection capabilities across digital channels to prevent revenue loss and reputation damage. Efficient brand protection requires more than simply using tools...

In 2020, ransomware attacks in the U.S. increased 139% year-over-year . Attacks are more strategic, demands are higher, and new tactics have emerged that leave victims experiencing the pressure to pay. Organizations that are affected by ransomware believe they are left with one of two choices: Refuse to meet ransom demands and risk the loss of data or, pay the ransom and hazard it released anyway...

PhishLabs is monitoring the increasing number of mobile applications targeted by the relatively new Alien Mobile Banking Trojan. Alien, a fork of Cerberus, continues to evade Google's malware detection and is targeting a broad spectrum of both financial and non-financial apps. So far, Alien has been connected with 87 new brands previously not targeted by Cerberus. Cerberus versus Alien Brands...

Microsoft Office 365 phish are some of the most common threats that reach end users inboxes. Over the course of a two-year period, PhishLabs has observed that O365 phish have accounted for more than half of all reported phish by enterprises - by a significant margin. Today, we are highlighting a recent O365 campaign, and breaking down the techniques used to enhance the threat actor's odds of...

A threatening social media post targeting an executive, employee, brand, or any other asset often has merit to it, and investigating the online accounts associated with the threat actor is imperative in the process of assessing risk. By mapping social media accounts operated by the threat actor, as well as general social media risk monitoring , you can build a more comprehensive profile of the...

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...

Recently, PhishLabs mitigated an attack using a fake social media page to steal the credentials of a credit union (CU) customer. Social media is increasingly used as a vehicle for attacks, and organizations should adopt social media protection measures to stay ahead of threats. The below demonstrates how the attack was executed. The Scam Initially, the threat actor sends the victim a text message...

Obtaining the location of a social media threat actor can provide important information in the process of assessing risk. Verifying a geographical region of a user is vital in determining the credibility and risk level of the posted threatening content. Investigating true locations of threat actors can evidently turn a seemingly baseless low risk social media threat into something that may be...

Look-alike domains remain some of the most consistent elements of cyber attacks targeting organizations. At a high-level, there are two ways to mitigate the threat of a look-alike domain : remove the threat completely by taking it offline, or block attacks on your users by implementing IT security controls. If we dissect the construction of a look-alike domain, we see where each step in its...

Cybercriminals register hundreds of thousands of look-alike domains every year to impersonate reputable brands and make a profit. These domains are used for a variety of attacks including phishing emails, fraudulent websites, web traffic diversion, and malware delivery. Look-alike domains are intentionally misleading to give customers the false impression that they're interacting with trusted...

The novel coronavirus has dominated 2020, and in the cyber community, threat actors have capitalized on its impact from the beginning. In early March we saw the first of what would be an onslaught of criminal activity using the pandemic to manipulate users, and over the course of the year these attacks have been modified to reflect local and global fallout. The coronavirus has not only been used...