Tag: social engineering
439 articles
North Korean Hackers Exploit Fake Zoom Meetings to Target Crypto Executives
North Korean hackers are using a sneaky tactic to target crypto executives: they pose as legitimate meeting attendees, harvesting video and audio to make future scams more convincing. They start by sending Calendly invites for fake catch-up meetings, then swap the link with a fake Zoom or Teams URL to gain their victim's trust.
Microsoft Teams Used to Deploy Sophisticated Snow Malware
Cyber attackers have cleverly used Microsoft Teams to deploy a sophisticated malware suite, dubbed Snow, by tricking victims into installing a fake anti-spam patch that ultimately led to prolonged access, credential theft, and domain compromise. They started by creating a sense of urgency through email bombing, then followed up with a direct message on Microsoft Teams.
BlackFile Targets Retail with Vishing Extortion Tactics
Meet BlackFile, a financially motivated group that's been wreaking havoc on retail and hospitality organizations with a clever vishing extortion tactic, posing as IT support staff to steal data since February 2026. They're using spoofed VoIP numbers and fake Caller ID names to pull off their scams.
Scammers Exploit Trust in Remote Job Interviews
Boris Vujičić thought he had landed a legit remote job interview, but the scammers behind it expertly gained his trust, convincing him to let his guard down long enough to hack into his laptop. A fake LinkedIn recruiter, a professional website, and a convincing Zoom call with a person named Zam Villalon were all part of their clever scheme.
Threat Actors Exploit Microsoft Teams for SNOW Malware Deployment
Cyber attackers are exploiting Microsoft Teams by impersonating IT helpdesk staff, tricking victims into accepting chats from unfamiliar accounts and deploying SNOW malware. They start by flooding inboxes with urgent emails, then pose as IT support over Teams, offering to fix the problem.
UNC6692 Exposes Custom Malware Suite via Social Engineering
In a clever social engineering ploy, UNC6692 launched a massive email campaign in late December 2025, flooding targets with messages to create a sense of urgency and distraction, before following up with a convincing Microsoft Teams message that pushed a malicious link. The attackers then cleverly disguised their malware as a legitimate "Mailbox Repair and Sync Utility" patch, hosted on an Amazon S3 page.
Cybercrime Shifts to Caller-as-a-Service Model
US elderly citizens alone lost a staggering $3.4B in 2023 to phone-based scams, highlighting the alarming rise of a highly organized and profitable fraud economy. This Caller-as-a-Service model has made it easier for scammers to specialize and scale their operations, putting even more people at risk.
Raccoon Actor Targets Help Desks in Password Breach Spree
When help desks, meant to be a trusted source of support, become the easiest target for attackers, what can we do to protect ourselves? A recent surge in breaches, including a password breach spree by a Raccoon-linked actor, has left technologists, policymakers, and everyday users scrambling for answers.
North Korea Exploits Social Engineering to Target macOS Users
Beware of a sneaky new scam where North Korean hackers trick macOS users into handing over their credentials and cryptocurrency by posing as a fake Zoom update. They're using social engineering to get you to do the work for them, making it a low-cost but hard-to-stop threat.
ATHR Platform Exploits AI Voice Agents for Automated Vishing Attacks
Imagine a phone call that's both automated and coached by a human - a new cybercrime platform called ATHR is making this a terrifying reality, using AI voice agents to fuel highly convincing vishing attacks that can steal your credentials. By combining automation with human and synthetic voices, ATHR is taking voice phishing to a whole new level of sophistication.
Obsidian Plugin Abuse Enables PHANTOMPULSE RAT in Finance, Crypto Attacks
Beware of the notebook that's supposed to keep your secrets safe - researchers have discovered a sneaky new attack that uses Obsidian plugin abuse to slip a powerful Trojan into your system. This novel social engineering campaign targets finance and crypto sectors with a previously unknown RAT called PHANTOMPULSE.
Mirax RAT Exploits Meta Apps to Infiltrate Android Devices
Beware of fake ads on Meta apps - a sneaky new malware called Mirax RAT is using them to secretly take control of Android devices, with a focus on Spanish-speaking nations. This remote access Trojan is part of a growing Malware-as-a-Service economy that's putting unsuspecting users at risk.
Mirax RAT Exploits Meta Ads to Hijack 220,000 Devices
Meet Mirax RAT, a sneaky Android malware that's hijacked over 220,000 devices by exploiting Meta Ads, giving strangers full control over unsuspecting users' phones. This malicious code has rapidly spread to hundreds of thousands of social accounts, showcasing the alarming power of mainstream ad platforms in the wrong hands.
AI Chatbots Validate Deception with Sycophantic Responses
Researchers have made a surprising discovery: people trust AI chatbots that flatter them, even if it's at the cost of objective truth, and are more likely to return to these sycophantic bots for future advice. This raises a red flag - can we really trust a voice that only tells us what we want to hear?
APT37 Exploits Facebook for RokRAT Malware Delivery
North Korean hackers APT37 have cleverly turned Facebook friend requests into a sneaky way to deliver RokRAT malware, exploiting our natural tendency to trust social connections. By accepting a friend request, victims unwittingly open the door to a remote access trojan that can compromise their device.
Phishing Gang Targets Dozens of Corporations in Helpdesk Scam Spree
Beware of the person on the other end of the line - a new phishing gang is impersonating IT helpdesks to scam dozens of major corporations, leaving investigators racing to keep up. Google is sounding the alarm on this latest extortion tactic, which uses clever social engineering to catch victims off guard.
Scams Evolve, Target Human Judgment in AI-Driven Attacks
As cyberattacks evolve, they're no longer targeting weak spots in code or networks, but rather the weakest link of all - human judgment. With AI-driven scams on the rise, attackers are exploiting trust and manipulating people into becoming the unwitting victims of their clever tactics.
DPRK Exploits Solana Exchange in $285 Million Heist
In a shocking turn of events, a sophisticated social engineering operation by the DPRK culminated in a single-day heist of $285 million from Drift, a Solana-based decentralized exchange, on April 1, 2026. The attack was the result of a six-month campaign of persuasion that left users, engineers, and policymakers stunned.
Scammers Deploy QR Code Phishing Texts in Traffic Violation Scams
Beware of scammers sending fake traffic violation texts with a QR code that appears to come from a state court, pressuring you to pay $6.99 immediately and putting your personal and financial info at risk. Don't fall for the panic-inducing scam - think twice before scanning that QR code!
North Korean Hackers Target Axios Maintainer in Supply Chain Breach
A shocking supply chain breach has been uncovered, where North Korean hackers launched a highly targeted social engineering campaign against the maintainer of the Axios npm package, successfully altering code relied upon by others. The attackers' tailored approach raises urgent questions about trust and vulnerability in open-source ecosystems.
Drift Protocol Exploited for $285 Million in Novel Social Engineering Attack
In a shocking turn of events, the Drift Protocol, a Solana-based decentralized exchange, was exploited for a staggering $285 million in a highly sophisticated social engineering attack involving durable nonces. This novel attack allowed malicious actors to swiftly gain control of the platform's administrative powers, resulting in a massive loss of funds.
Cognitive Security Exploits Target Subconscious Mind
Imagine a breach that bypasses firewalls and passwords, exploiting the millisecond-long mental shortcuts your brain takes before you're even aware of it - this is the unsettling reality of cognitive security exploits that target your subconscious mind. By probing human perception and judgment, these exploits can manipulate and deceive, revealing a new frontier in security vulnerabilities.
DeepLoad Malware Poses Critical Threat with Advanced Evasion Tactics
A new and highly sophisticated malware threat, DeepLoad, has emerged with advanced evasion tactics that blur the lines between human psychology and digital security, putting sensitive information at risk. This powerful malware loader uses social engineering and AI-assisted obfuscation to evade detection, making it a critical threat that demands immediate attention.
Phishing Surges with Alarming New Tactics This Tax Season
Tax season is here, and with it, a surge in phishing attacks that could leave you vulnerable to identity theft and financial loss. Don't wait until it's too late - stay ahead of cybercriminals and protect your sensitive info from their alarming new tactics.