New data shows just how crippling ransomware has been on small businesses that have fallen victim to an attack and needed to pay the ransom. Logic would normally dictate that ransomware gangs are going to go after the “big fishes” – the larger organizations with deep pockets. But with the advent of the “as a service” model of ransomware, threat actors have found a niche, with many of them focusing on businesses with 1 to 50 employees.

Threat actors are exploiting Microsoft Visio files and SharePoint to launch two-step phishing attacks, according to researchers at Perception Point. “Perception Point’s security researchers have observed a dramatic increase in two-step phishing attacks leveraging.vsdx files – a file extension rarely used in phishing campaigns until now,” the researchers explain.

Researchers at IBM X-Force are tracking a phishing campaign by the criminal threat actor “Hive0145” that’s using stolen invoice notifications to trick users into installing malware. Hive0145 acts as an initial access broker, selling access to compromised organizations to other threat actors who then carry out additional cyberattacks.

In the ever-evolving landscape of cybersecurity, the convergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) has created new opportunities for risk. It is crucial to understand that this powerful combination is also being weaponized by cybercriminals, presenting unprecedented challenges for organizations worldwide.

A new report from ESET has found that most nation-state threat actors rely on spear phishing as a primary initial access technique. In the second and third quarters of 2024, state-sponsored APTs from China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea used social engineering attacks to compromise their targets. Iranian threat actors continued conducting cyber espionage against countries across the Middle East, Europe, and the US. They also expanded their targeting to hit financial companies in Africa.

The latest trend in cybercrime is that attackers don't really focus on “hacking” in; they’re logging in. We see this now in the wild, driven by organized criminal groups like Scattered Spider and BlackCat, who’ve reemerged with a renewed focus on gaining access through legitimate means, often exploiting help desks and social engineering tactics.

Threat actors are abusing DocuSign’s API to send phony invoices that appear “strikingly authentic,” according to researchers at Wallarm. “Unlike traditional phishing scams that rely on deceptively crafted emails and malicious links, these incidents use genuine DocuSign accounts and templates to impersonate reputable companies, catching users and security tools off guard,” Wallarm says.

Cybercriminals are impersonating OpenAI in a widespread phishing campaign designed to trick users into handing over financial information. The emails inform users that a payment for their ChatGPT subscription was declined, inviting them to click a link in order to update their payment method. The phishing emails appear fairly convincing, but trained users could spot some red flags. The most obvious giveaway is that the emails were sent from “info@mtacom,” which is clearly unrelated to OpenAI.

Attackers are abusing Eventbrite’s scheduling platform to send phishing emails, according to researchers at Perception Point. These attacks increased by 900% between July and October 2024. “Perception Point researchers observed phishing emails delivered via ‘noreply@events.eventbritecom,’” the researchers write.

ReliaQuest warns that the BlackBasta ransomware gang is using new social engineering tactics to obtain initial access within corporate networks. The threat actor begins by sending mass email spam campaigns targeting employees, then adding people who fall for the emails to Microsoft Teams chats with external users. These external users pose as IT support or help desk staff, and send employees Microsoft Teams messages containing malicious QR codes.