Ever follow an ad featuring limited-time products to a company’s web page only to find they’re selling something else entirely? Or have you added a product to a cart only to discover a laundry list of issues, from poor quality to endless fees? Bait and switch (also called “bait-and-switch” or “B&S”) is a classification of fraudulent activities that most recognize as false advertising.

Every IT admin, regardless of the company size or employee count, shares a common fear: data breaches. The horror of discovering their organization’s data exposed on the dark web, accessible to anyone, is definitely a nightmare. So, IT admins are on the constant lookout for leading solutions that protect access to organization data and manage employee identities effectively. But where does the real challenge lie? In managing the employee identities, or their access to data?

“If you put a key under the mat for the cops, a burglar can find it, too. Criminals are using every technology tool at their disposal to hack into people’s accounts. If they know there’s a key hidden somewhere, they won’t stop until they find it.” - Tim Cook, CEO of Apple Inc. The entire digital landscape has evolved into a behemoth of sorts as the number of online attacks targeting individuals, businesses, and governments has risen steadily.

While the digital landscape evolves, cyber adversaries are also honing their tactics, techniques, and procedures. In recent years, ransomware groups have made major disruptions to the digital supply chain and, by extension, the world economy. What’s more, organizations in all industries and geographies continue to grapple with third-party threats, zero-day vulnerabilities, and more.

In 2023, based on wire fraud statistics nearly a quarter of consumers received suspicious communications, which may have occurred over text, email, phone, or social media. Of those who interacted with the sender, one in twenty consumers fell victim to wire fraud, which begins over electronic channels. That same year, consumers lost a reported $10 billion to fraudulent activities, a significant portion of which began as wire fraud.

Cybersecurity threats loom large over businesses across various sectors. Cyberattacks may lead to data breaches, operational disruptions, monetary loss, reputational loss, and other negative impacts. The first step to preventing cyberattacks is identifying possible threats. The list of threats mainly depends on your industry and the types of data you store.

Two major organizations breached in 2023 — 23andMe and MGM Resorts — have one part of their hacks in common: identity. Initial access in the 23andMe breach came from credential stuffing, and it was a lack of access control that allowed the threat actors to move deeper into the organization, ultimately exfiltrating data from millions of user accounts.

Introduction In a recent development, our expert threat intelligence team at Foresiet Research has identified a troubling incident involving a threat actor who claims to have gained access to the Ukrainian Government mailbox, both User and Admin accounts. The compromised credentials are being offered for sale on the dark web, posing a serious security threat to sensitive government information.

Read our summary of research that found millions of records that exposed user passwords due to misconfigured or missing security settings.

Everyone has received a spam text or email at some point. Their hallmarks are widely known; they often include poor or strange grammar, suspicious links, suggested connections with companies or people, or random individuals asking for help in some capacity. Sometimes, these communications allow scammers and malicious actors to learn about their targets. These targets may be individuals, companies, vendors, software hosts, or any other entity with data worth a cent.