Angler phishing where attackers intercept social media interactions with brands has been a problem affecting customer service for a while. Now it has expanded to business email compromise. Many organizations have warned recently about BEC using the messaging functions on LinkedIn.[4] Technological innovation has also given bad actors new tools to create fake profiles that get around protections on sites such as LinkedIn. Using AI and deepfake profile pictures to avoid detection scammers pose as headhunters or personal finance managers to dupe professionals.
Fake Ads Invade Search Results During last year’s holiday season as many employees were shopping online at work the FBI was warning about scams that leveraged search advertising.[5] When users searched for a product or service the ads appearing at the top of their screens were actually whatsapp mobile number list driving them to fake websites. There scammers would draw out passwords to enable future exploits extract fraudulent payments or plant malware on the user’s computer that in turn could infect their employer’s network.
The FBI’s warning singled out cryptocurrency platforms as the target of one recent spate of attacks but these brand impersonation incidents are widespread. And they not only harm the users targeted but also cause untold brand damage to the businesses being spoofed. Attackers’ Technology Evolves Too The scammers’ tools have evolved as well. Cyber risk has been front and center in conversations about the surging uptake of generative AI technology including tools like ChatGPT and Copilot that can accelerate and improve the development of content and code.