In this series of blog posts we examine the most common forms of phishing attacks and appropriate countermeasures to protect both individuals and organizations – in this post we explore hacktivism and the growing range of victims.
Politically Motivated & Hacktivism
The threat of cyber criminals pursuing a political agenda and seeking to disrupt critical infrastructures has been well documented. However, hacktivists are now increasingly relying on high volumes of email communication to provide a new window of opportunity for attack.
Hacktivism Countermeasures
With cyber attacks remaining one of the biggest threats to privacy, national security and the global economy, there needs to be greater collaboration and information sharing between the public and private sectors. It’s also imperative that anyone with valuable digital assets assumes that they are vulnerable to sophisticated cyber criminals who change their tactics and techniques on a daily basis.
While there is no one measure that can counter politically motivated attacks, having a multi-layered approach to security practices will put organizations in a better position to mitigate attacks and reduce the impact of any breaches.
Download Agari’s executive brief on the Top Phishing Attacks of 2016 to learn more about best practices to stopping phishing attacks.
You can also check out the other posts in the Top Phishing Scams series:
Politically Motivated & Hacktivism
The threat of cyber criminals pursuing a political agenda and seeking to disrupt critical infrastructures has been well documented. However, hacktivists are now increasingly relying on high volumes of email communication to provide a new window of opportunity for attack.
- Not Only Politicians - Evidence has emerged that sophisticated phishing scams have been aimed at targets as diverse as Hilary Clinton and industrial controls companies.
- Energy Industry - Symantec previously revealed a Trojan, called Lozaik, was targeted at workers in the energy industry across the UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, United States, UK, and Uganda. The Trojan masqueraded as an Excel spreadsheet, spreading malware that observed and reported device data.
Hacktivism Countermeasures
With cyber attacks remaining one of the biggest threats to privacy, national security and the global economy, there needs to be greater collaboration and information sharing between the public and private sectors. It’s also imperative that anyone with valuable digital assets assumes that they are vulnerable to sophisticated cyber criminals who change their tactics and techniques on a daily basis.
While there is no one measure that can counter politically motivated attacks, having a multi-layered approach to security practices will put organizations in a better position to mitigate attacks and reduce the impact of any breaches.
Download Agari’s executive brief on the Top Phishing Attacks of 2016 to learn more about best practices to stopping phishing attacks.
You can also check out the other posts in the Top Phishing Scams series: