Welcome to Security Lab Insights, your central hub for the latest email security intelligence. Here, you’ll find a comprehensive collection of in-depth analysis from Hornetsecurity’s Security Lab, specializing in forensic examinations of current and critical security threats. Designed for CISOs, Microsoft 365 admins, and all cybersecurity enthusiasts, this hub will keep you informed about the latest trends and best practices to safeguard your organization against evolving cyber threats. Explore our research library to discover valuable insights and stay ahead of the curve.
Email-based attacks rose in Q4 2024, with archives, PDFs, and HTML files being the most common payloads. The education sector became one of the top three targeted industries, alongside mining and entertainment. DocuSign was the most impersonated brand, with attacks on telecom sectors in the US and UK and Costa Rica’s critical infrastructure during December.
A security breach at the Internet Archive exposed data of 31 million users, increasing the risk of targeted cyber-attacks. The EU has adopted a new law to enhance IoT device security, potentially impacting all digital products; with the holidays and recent U.S. elections, expect a surge in brand impersonation and malicious communications.
In Q3 2024, email threats surged significantly, with PDF, archive, and HTML files being the top malicious attachments. The CUPS security incident drew special attention from Linux system admins, and Microsoft held a Windows Security Summit to strategize on preventing future breaches like CrowdStrike.
A massive data breach at National Public Data exposed 2.9 billion records, increasing the risk of spear-phishing attacks. U.S. authorities warn of RansomHub, insider threats, and rising cyber risks during the ongoing U.S. election campaign.
Widespread cyberattacks dominated July 2024, highlighted by the severe CrowdStrike incident that caused significant disruptions across multiple businesses. New vulnerabilities in VMware ESXi and increased DDoS attacks from Anonymous Sudan further compounded the threat landscape.
This month’s email attacks: more spam, less targeted. Cloud storage provider Snowflake’s customers were breached. Change Healthcare revealed leaked data from their ransomware attack. Big news: Kaspersky banned in the US! Finally, good news – the FBI has Lockbit decryption keys (see Lockbit section if affected).
This month, we detected a new Darkgate Malware campaign using pastejacking to distribute malware. Additionally, the successful dismantling of the 911 S5 Proxy Botnet marks a major milestone in cybersecurity. Furthermore, threat actors impersonating helpful community members on platforms like Stack Overflow distribute malicious PyPI packages, posing a new threat vector.
This month saw PDF files emerge as the prime target in email attacks, Microsoft’s CEO, Satya Nadella, affirmed the company’s commitment to addressing security concerns. Additionally, the introduction of new security guidelines for IoT and home devices by the British law PSTI underscores a proactive approach to safeguarding digital ecosystems.
This month, key highlights include a critical report on Microsoft’s response to the Storm-0558 attack, urging enhanced public cloud security. The US Federal Trade Commission reported $1.1 billion in losses from impersonation attacks in 2023. Furthermore, there was a narrow escape from a potentially catastrophic supply chain attack on a widely-used Linux library.
This month has been defined by significant cyberattacks, with implications reaching even into the realm of human well-being. Additionally, a critical CVSS 10 vulnerability in ScreenConnect by Connectwise has been exploited in the wild, necessitating an urgent patch for On-Prem users.
