Cofense Blog

How phishing will forever be a problem

Two-plus decades ago Aaron Higbee, now Cofense CTO and co-founder, was hired by a company to help counter their exploding email spam problem, a role that evolved to addressing other internet-abuse issues. He took on threat tactics that evaded technical controls, and he never looked back.    Aaron shares what he learned in his article, My ‘Ah-Ha’ Moment: Phishing Will Forever Be A Problem, published by the Forbes Technology Council. In the article, he discusses what he‘s seen and uncovered about phishing attacks on organizations during his lengthy career in cybersecurity.   In particular, Aaron mentions that he has learned: “…technologies can’t predict the future and that when attackers are sufficiently frustrated by an emerging preventative control, they will innovate around it.” But that by, “Actively training users to report suspicious...

Exploiting the Current COVID-19 Health Crisis Through Multiple Email Providers

Mandatory Internal Company Communications: The Best Time to Phish

FISSEA Recognizes Cofense with the Best Security Blog Award

This week, the Cofense blog post, Invoice Themed Phishing Emails Are Spreading from Trusted Links, was named 2020 Best Security Blog by Federal Information Security Educators (FISSEA). Founded in 1987, FISSEA is an organization run by and for federal government information security professionals to assist federal agencies in strengthening employee cybersecurity awareness and training programs. Each year – with dozens of entries in varied categories – FISSEA recognizes a best entry in the FISSEA Training Exercise Contest. To meet the criteria, training exercises must have a security theme and be a part of an organization’s current security training program. Judging is based on originality, security message and graphic concept.  “We are honored to be recognized for our efforts to help companies find and remove phish in their environments,” said Michael Callahan, Cofense SVP...

Where Do Security Awareness Programs Belong on the Org Chart?

“We’re Grateful For The Trust!”

Phish Found in Proofpoint-Protected Environments – Week ending October 23, 2020

Phish Found in Proofpoint-Protected Environments – Week Ending October 16, 2020

Threat Actors Use Canva Templates for Credential Phishing

Security Awareness: Choosing Methods and Content that Work

GuLoader Rises as a Top Malware Delivery Mechanism in Phishing

“You’re Invited!” to Phishing Links Inside .ics Calendar Attachments

Practice Makes Perfect

New Mass Logger Malware Could Be Massive

Zoom Phish Zooming Through Inboxes Amid Pandemic

Phishers Cast a Wider Net in the African Banking Sector

MFA Bypass Phish Caught: OAuth2 Grants Access to User Data Without a Password

A Not So Relieving Tax Relief Email: Threat Actors Take Aim at US Stimulus Efforts

Phishers Continue to Spoof WebEx

Available Today: The Cofense Intelligence Q1 2020 Phishing Review

How phishing will forever be a problem

Two-plus decades ago Aaron Higbee, now Cofense CTO and co-founder, was hired by a company to help counter their exploding email spam problem, a role that evolved to addressing other internet-abuse issues. He took on threat tactics that evaded technical controls, and he never looked back.    Aaron shares what he learned in his article, My ‘Ah-Ha’ Moment: Phishing Will Forever Be A Problem, published by the Forbes Technology Council. In the article, he discusses what he‘s seen and uncovered about phishing attacks on organizations during his lengthy career in cybersecurity.   In particular, Aaron mentions that he has learned: “…technologies can’t predict the future and that when attackers are sufficiently frustrated by an emerging preventative control, they will innovate around it.” But that by, “Actively training users to report suspicious...

Exploiting the Current COVID-19 Health Crisis Through Multiple Email Providers

Mandatory Internal Company Communications: The Best Time to Phish

FISSEA Recognizes Cofense with the Best Security Blog Award

This week, the Cofense blog post, Invoice Themed Phishing Emails Are Spreading from Trusted Links, was named 2020 Best Security Blog by Federal Information Security Educators (FISSEA). Founded in 1987, FISSEA is an organization run by and for federal government information security professionals to assist federal agencies in strengthening employee cybersecurity awareness and training programs. Each year – with dozens of entries in varied categories – FISSEA recognizes a best entry in the FISSEA Training Exercise Contest. To meet the criteria, training exercises must have a security theme and be a part of an organization’s current security training program. Judging is based on originality, security message and graphic concept.  “We are honored to be recognized for our efforts to help companies find and remove phish in their environments,” said Michael Callahan, Cofense SVP...

Where Do Security Awareness Programs Belong on the Org Chart?

“We’re Grateful For The Trust!”

Phish Found in Proofpoint-Protected Environments – Week ending October 23, 2020

Phish Found in Proofpoint-Protected Environments – Week Ending October 16, 2020

Threat Actors Use Canva Templates for Credential Phishing

Security Awareness: Choosing Methods and Content that Work

“You’re Invited!” to Phishing Links Inside .ics Calendar Attachments

Practice Makes Perfect

Zoom Phish Zooming Through Inboxes Amid Pandemic

Phishers Cast a Wider Net in the African Banking Sector

MFA Bypass Phish Caught: OAuth2 Grants Access to User Data Without a Password

A Not So Relieving Tax Relief Email: Threat Actors Take Aim at US Stimulus Efforts

Phishers Continue to Spoof WebEx

Want to simulate a holiday phish? This one’s from your friends at Emotet.

By Tonia Dudley Tis the season when organizations are looking to send out the year’s last phishing simulation. Often the Security Awareness team lands on a holiday theme – holiday party, holiday raffle, or even the fun ugly sweater lure. In the past, when I worked with teams to advance their phishing defense programs, I would recommend staying away from holiday themed scenarios. I’ll explain why in a moment. But my opinion has changed, thanks to the threat actors behind Emotet.

Trickbot Is Using Google Docs to Trick Proofpoint’s Gateway

Remote Access Trojan Uses Sendgrid to Slip through Proofpoint

The CofenseTM Phishing Defense CenterTM observed a malware campaign masquerading as an email complaint from the Better Business Bureau to deliver the notorious Orcus RAT, part of the free DNS domain ChickenKiller which we blogged about in 2015. Here’s how it works: