Resources

Guide

Machine Learning Models in Cloud Email Protection

Traditional email security products struggle to detect email impersonation threats such as Business Email Compromise (BEC) and spear phishing campaigns. These threats consistently bypass defenses that rely on signatures and policies like Secure Email Gateways and native-cloud email filters. This guide breaks down how Fortra uses advanced data science, including machine learning models, to find and mitigate attacks that slip past traditional email defenses.
Blog

Holiday Season Triggers Rise in Counterfeit Activity

Counterfeit activity increases every year during the pre-holiday shopping blitz -- most notably Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Christmas and Hanukkah. Arm yourself with defenses now to combat ever-evolving counterfeiting methods during peak retail shopping season.
Blog

Emails Reported as Malicious Reach Four-Quarter High in Q3

The volume of malicious emails reported in corporate inboxes has reached a four-quarter high, according to the latest data from Fortra's PhishLabs.
Press Release

Forbes: 8 Ways To Keep Your Social Security Number Safe From Identity Theft

It’s difficult to control your Social Security number in the wild. In his September contribution to Forbes Advisor, John Wilson discusses the most common scams involving Social Security numbers and provides 8 steps individuals can take to prevent identity fraud. Originally published in Forbes Advisor : “For too many of us, our SSNs are already in the hands of miscreants, along with our other...
Article

How to Mitigate Online Counterfeit Threats

The broad scope of counterfeit campaigns and unclear boundaries of abuse make it challenging to successfully mitigate online threats targeting retail brands. There is a fine line between infringement and fair use of publicly made materials, as well as immeasurable online environments where counterfeit campaigns may live and grow.
Press Release

The Last Watchdog: The Drivers Behind Persistent Ransomware and Defensive Tactics to Deploy

In his guest essay for The Last Watchdog, Eric George, Director of Solutions Engineering at PhishLabs by, explains what ransomware is, who the high-stake threat actors are, and how organizations can defend themselves against ransomware attacks. Originally published in The Last Watchdog “Ransomware usually starts with a phishing email. An unsuspecting employee will open a legitimate-looking message...
Blog

The “i'’s” Have It: How BEC Scammers Validate New Targets with Blank Emails

Have you ever received a blank email from someone you don’t know? If you have, it may have been from a cybercriminal making sure your email account is legitimate prior to a Business Email Compromise (BEC) attack. Agari and PhishLabs define BEC as any response-based spear phishing attack involving the impersonation of a trusted party to trick victims into making an unauthorized financial...
Video

What is Social Engineering?

Transcript Social engineering is the use of idiosyncrasies of the way our brains work to trick us into doing something we would otherwise not do. Let me give you an example. Suppose that you live in an apartment complex that has a secure gate and everyone at that complex has been told, "Don't let strangers in. Don't hold the door for anyone." I could use a few techniques to get in there. For...
Video

What is Ransomware?

Transcript Ransomware really is continuing to be that go-to attack for attackers, and it's really one of the most effective ways that they have to extort businesses and compromise user data. How does ransomware work? Well, typically, it's delivered via infected email attachments or via compromised websites or contact management systems. Here at Agari, we actually think that the best way to...
Video

What is a Data Breach?

Transcript A data breach occurs anytime somebody has unauthorized access to data. In a corporate sense, this can be anytime that an employee internally is able to access data that they do not have permission for, or more specifically, when somebody outside of the organization is able to gain access inside the organization by using compromised credentials or some type of persistence on an endpoint...
Press Release

How Enterprises Can Defend Against Rapidly Evolving Ransomware

Ransomware threats can change daily, making consumers and businesses more vulnerable than ever. Names like Angler malvertising, Locky ransomware and Angler Exploit Kit frequently crop up in the news, despite law enforcement’s best efforts to contain them. Simply put, malware is popular because it’s successful. Cyber criminals make an estimated 1,425% ROI for exploit kit and ransomware schemes...
Guide

Scarlet Widow Part 1: Breaking Hearts for Profit

Table of Contents Who is Scarlet Widow? Femmes Fictionale and Counterfeit Romeos The Long Con: Making Moves for Money Starry Eyes for Starling Michael Up Close and Personal: The Case of "Robert Blackwell"
Guide

Scattered Canary Threat Dossier

Business email compromise (BEC) has continued to grow into a billion-dollar industry as cybercriminals turn to it as their preferred scam. But with the West African gang we’ve named Scattered Canary, we have deeper insight into how BEC is connected to the rest of cybercrime, and why it has grown in recent years. Download the threat dossier to learn: How Scattered Canary grew from a one-man startup...
Guide

Scarlet Widow Part 2: BEC Bitcoin Laundry—Scam, Rinse, Repeat

While many cybercriminal gangs scam medium-sized and large corporations, Agari has now uncovered and documented the practices of a Nigeria-based scammer group, dubbed Scarlet Widow, that has evolved a different strategy focused on more vulnerable sectors such as school districts, universities, and nonprofits. In this report, we uncover: How Scarlet Widow transitioned from romance scams to tax...
Guide

Ransomware: Exploring the Leading Cyber Extortion Tool

Ransomware has evolved from targeting individuals to extorting large sums of money from businesses with the threat of releasing or destroying their private company data. This type of email-based attack can cause tremendous financial losses as well as reputation damage that’s difficult and expensive to repair. Read our ransomware white paper now for insights from Agari Chief Scientist Markus...
Blog

Top Social Media Threats Targeting the Retail Industry

Social media threats targeting enterprises more than doubled last year. Attacks on the retail industry specifically have grown, as threat actors are targeting victims with impersonation and counterfeit ad campaigns. Purchasing behavior is increasingly influenced by social media, making it an attractive vector for these kinds of campaigns. The tendency of social media users to consume information...
Blog

2022 Data Privacy Week – Education and Inspiration

As the world becomes more and more dependent on online resources to complete daily tasks, such as work meetings, grocery shopping, and even exercising, the risk of cyber attacks, data breaches, and information stealing increases. If you’re not already protecting your personal information online, now is the perfect time to start, as Data Privacy Weeks kicks off today. Led by the National Cyber...