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An often-repeated mantra in the world of cybersecurity is hackers don’t break-in, they log in.
Phishing scams, where hackers trick users into handing over personal details or login credentials, are on the rise.
Last year, phishing scams were the most common type of internet crime, according to an FBI report. In 2019, people lost more than $57.8 million in phishing scams, with over 114,000 victims targeted in the U.S.
And hackers are using more sophisticated attacks to steal passwords, according to security experts.
“Most of the attackers have now moved to phishing because it’s easy. If I can convince you to give me your credentials, it’s done. There’s nothing more that I need,” Tanmay Ganacharya, a principal director in Microsoft’s Security Research team, told Business Insider.
Ganacharya discussed the phishing trends that his team has observed with Business Insider. They include:
- Hackers targeting low-level employees, then using those credentials to target executives’ accounts
- Fake credential pages that are more sophisticated in their appearance
- A resurgence in URL hijacking or “typosquatting” where attackers buy domains that are the slight misspelling of popular websites
Read about other threat trends at Business Insider.
