E-Business
How Cybercriminals Target Corporate email
Phishing attacks are among the most widespread and effective tactics used by cybercriminals against business.
These schemes aim to deceive employees into disclosing sensitive information, such as login credentials or financial data, by posing as legitimate sources.
While phishing attacks come in various forms, they often target corporate email systems due to the wealth of valuable information they hold. To assist businesses in bolstering their defenses against potential breaches, Kaspersky is unveiling the anatomy of a phishing attack.
According to Mimecast’s ‘The State of Email Security 2023’ report, 83% of CISOs surveyed see email as the primary source of cyberattacks. The recent case of Pepco Group demonstrated the severe consequences that phishing attacks can inflict on a business.
At the end of February, the retail company reported that its Hungarian subsidiary had fallen victim to a sophisticated phishing attack. As a result of this strike, Pepco Group lost approximately €15.5 million in cash. This incident highlights the expanding threat posed by cybercriminals, emphasising the critical need for organisations to strengthen their cybersecurity defenses.
In 2023 Kaspersky’s anti-phishing system thwarted over 709 million attempts to access phishing and scam websites, marking a 40% increase compared to the previous year’s figures.
In response to this pressing issue, Kaspersky experts cover the way phishing attacks are conducted.
- Cybercriminals’ motivation
Phishing attacks stem from cybercriminals motivated by various factors. Primarily, they seek financial gain by unlawfully acquiring sensitive information like credit card details or login credentials, which can be sold or used for fraudulent transactions. Additionally, some are motivated by political or ideological agendas, or by the purpose of espionage. Despite the differing motivations, these attacks pose severe risks to businesses.
- The initial approach
Phishing attacks typically begin with cybercriminals crafting fraudulent emails designed to lure recipients into taking action. These emails often mimic legitimate communications from trusted sources, such as colleagues, business partners or reputable organisations. To enhance credibility, attackers may employ tactics like spoofing sender addresses or replicating corporate branding.
The situation is further exacerbated by the emergence of AI-powered phishing attacks, leveraging sophisticated algorithms to create highly convincing and personalised phishing emails. This exacerbates the challenge of detecting and combating such threats.
- Deceptive content and techniques
Central to the success of phishing attacks is the exploitation of human vulnerabilities. Cybercriminals leverage psychological manipulation techniques, compelling victims to act impulsively without thoroughly evaluating the email’s legitimacy.
Phishing emails employ various strategies to deceive recipients and elicit desired responses. Common techniques include:
False pretenses: Emails may claim urgency or importance, urging recipients to act quickly to avoid purported consequences or to seize perceived opportunities.
Social engineering: Attackers personalise emails and tailor messages that resonate with recipients’ interests, roles, or concerns, increasing the likelihood of drawing in the victim.
Malicious links and attachments: Phishing emails often contain links to fraudulent websites or malicious attachments designed to harvest credentials, install malware, or initiate unauthorised transactions.
- Evading detection
To evade detection by email security filters and anti-phishing solutions, cybercriminals consistently refine their tactics and adapt to evolving cybersecurity measures. They may employ obfuscation techniques, encryption methods, or URL redirection to bypass detection and enhance the effectiveness of their attacks.
- Consequences of successful phishing attacks
When phishing attacks succeed, the consequences can be severe for organisations. Breaches of corporate email systems can lead to unauthorised access to sensitive data, financial losses, reputational damage, and regulatory non-compliance. Moreover, compromised email accounts can serve as footholds for further cyberattacks, such as Business Email Compromise (BEC) or data exfiltration.
Mitigation strategy
Safeguarding against phishing attacks targeting corporate email systems, means organisations must implement robust cybersecurity measures while educating employees about phishing awareness and best practices.
Effective mitigation strategies include employee training, the introduction of multi-factor authentication, the formulation of incident response plans, and the deployment of advanced email filtering and security solutions.
“In today’s dynamic threat landscape, businesses face an ever-growing array of cyber risks, with email-based attacks posing a particularly insidious threat. At Kaspersky, we recognise the critical importance of equipping organisations with robust cybersecurity solutions to help businesses defend themselves against these evolving threats.
“Our Kaspersky Security for Mail Server combines advanced content filtering capabilities with cutting-edge machine learning technology to provide unparalleled protection for corporate mail systems even against evolving AI-powered phishing attacks.
“By leveraging our solutions, businesses can proactively defend themselves against phishing attacks and other malicious threats, ensuring the security and integrity of their sensitive data,” comments Timofey Titkov, Head of Cloud & Network Security Product Line at Kaspersky.
To further enhance global efforts to combat cyber offenses, Kaspersky and AFRIPOL have signed a cooperation agreement in preventing and fighting cybercrime.
Covering a period of five years, the document formalises and facilitates cooperation between the company and the law enforcement agency in sharing threat intelligence data on the latest cybercriminal activities.
The landscape of cyberthreats in Africa has constantly been evolving, with the continent having been especially susceptible to industrial threats. The region, in particular, has the highest share of Industrial Control Systems (ICS) computers on which malicious objects were blocked by Kaspersky solutions, compared to other regions.
Africa’s vigorous cyberthreat environment requires enhanced collaboration of the parties concerned to safeguard against potential risks.
Strengthening the existing relationship between the two organisations, the agreement provides for enhanced data exchange on cyberthreats and cybercrime trends, with Kaspersky handing over such data to AFRIPOL for the further criminal intelligence analysis by the organisation.
Another aspect of collaboration includes the provision of assistance, know-how and technical knowledge in information security analysis by Kaspersky’s vastly experienced teams of experts.
The official signing ceremony took place at AFRIPOL’s headquarters in Algiers on November 18, with the agreement signed by Kaspersky founder and CEO, Eugene Kaspersky and AFRIPOL’s Acting Executive Director, Ambassador Jalel Chelba.
Kaspersky founder and CEO, Eugene Kaspersky, noted: “An effective fight against cybercrime is inconceivable without cooperation. Our company has always put collaborative effort first – sharing its expertise with the widest range of stakeholders: the security expert community, law enforcement agencies, and also the general public to empower them with knowledge about acute cyberthreats.
“Hence, by advancing our cooperation with AFRIPOL and by equipping the agency with both the information and technology required for responding to emerging cyberthreats, we hope to enhance our contribution in fostering greater cyber-resilience and a safer cyberspace for all.”
AFRIPOL Acting Executive Director Ambassador Jalel Chelba stated: “This agreement with Kaspersky represents a major step forward in strengthening Africa’s digital defenses.
By leveraging Kaspersky’s expertise and resources, we are not only enhancing AFRIPOL’s ability to counter cyber threats, but also contributing to the protection of a secure digital space for all African citizens.
This collaboration brings substantial added value to both our organisations: it strengthens AFRIPOL’s operational framework in combating cybercrime, while allowing Kaspersky to play a key role in the digital security of a strategically important continent in terms of cybersecurity. Together, we are taking a significant step towards resilience and digital trust in Africa, by mobilising the best of both partners.”
Kaspersky and AFRIPOL have a long record of joint cooperation projects. The two organisations have been active contributors to the assessment of the African threat landscape, while also being active participants in INTERPOL-led actions to disrupt cybercrime on the African continent, namely Africa Cyber Surge Operation and Africa Cyber Surge Operation II.
The two organisations have also been advocating for greater digital trust, with AFRIPOL having endorsed Kaspersky’s first Transparency Center in the African region in Rwanda. Learn more at the website.
The Cloud Native Computing Foundation® (CNCF®), which builds sustainable ecosystems for cloud-native software, along with Linux Foundation Education, the training and certification arm of the Linux Foundation, has partnered with Andela, home to the world’s largest private tech talent marketplace, to train 20,000 to 30,000 African technologists in cloud native basics to enable them to excel in jobs globally as cloud-native development grows.
The training—done at no cost to the participants—will begin next year and unfold over two to three years. Participants will have the opportunity to train for the Kubernetes and Cloud Native associate (KCNA) certification, which demonstrates a user’s foundational knowledge and skills in Kubernetes and the wider cloud native ecosystem, and the Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD), which certifies that users can design, build, configure, and expose cloud native applications for Kubernetes.
“This partnership showcases the global impact of CNCF’s education programs. By standardizing cloud native knowledge, developers across the globe can confidently work toward certifications that will enable them to land developer positions both within their own countries and globally,” said Chris Aniszczyk, CTO at the CNCF.
“By partnering with Andela, which has a long history of training technologists in Africa, we see great opportunity in providing our training to communities that may otherwise not have access. Together, we can create a win-win for companies that need workers and workers that need opportunities.”
According to Google’s Africa Developer Ecosystem Report 2021, the increased global demand for remote tech talent, which was accelerated by the pandemic, created more remote employment opportunities for African developers. Now, 38% of African software developers work for at least one company based outside the continent.
“We are excited to partner with CNCF to extend training and, ultimately, enhance job opportunities for African workers. The continent is emerging as one of the most important markets in the world.
“It has the fastest-growing population of developers, and its young workforce will be key to solving the tech talent shortage,” said Carrol Chang, Andela CEO. “Organizations are looking for talent with advanced skill sets like AI and cloud-native, and this particular skill set is a perfect addition to the Andela marketplace.”
Training participants will take six to nine months to achieve the KCNA and CKAD certifications and will be selected from Andela’s talent marketplace, which includes 150,000 technology professionals globally, with a large percentage from Africa. Andela’s talent marketplace in Africa spans 49 countries, including Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana.
The company fosters an active community for marketplace participants and has worked with numerous companies, including Google, Meta, Microsoft, AWS, and Nvidia, to train talent in technologies that offer vast workplace opportunities.
The need for cloud-native developers continues to increase and a recent study by CNCF revealed that almost 55% of developers landed a new job as a result of training and certification courses.
Almost 7 in 10 (67%) said it made them feel more engaged and fulfilled in their work. However, 8 in 10 (81%) also said cost prevented them from completing certifications.
“As a non-profit focused on growing open source and cultivating the IT talent needed to sustain it, partnerships – like this one with Andela – help us train and certify underrepresented groups, which is crucial to both our long-term success and amplify our impact,” said Clyde Seepersad, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Linux Foundation Education.
QNET, a global lifestyle and wellness-focused direct-selling company, in partnership with Transblue Nigeria Ltd, hosted a successful Product Expo at Anchor Events Place, Ikeja, Lagos.
The event showcased QNET’s diverse product line, addressing misconceptions and empowering Nigerian entrepreneurs.
Mr. Akeem Ajisafe, Managing Director of Transblue Nigeria Ltd, emphasized the expo’s significance: “This is our opportunity to showcase our products, tackle misconceptions, and educate people about QNET’s direct-selling approach.”
QNET’s partnership with Transblue has yielded multiple workshops and exhibitions, promoting economic viability and youth empowerment.
Ajisafe highlighted the benefits: “QNET has contributed significantly to Nigeria’s tax revenue, and our programs teach entrepreneurship skills, enabling individuals to build their own businesses.”
Commander Mitchell Ofoyeju, Tincan Island Port Strategic Command, Lagos, praised QNET’s potential: “The product line is amazing, people-centric, and has great potential in Nigeria. It’s impressive, and I recommend it to young Nigerians.”
Ofoyeju emphasized QNET’s capacity-building opportunities: “This can generate wealth, increase productivity, and engage youth meaningfully, keeping them away from crime and illicit activities.”
The expo featured health products, luxury watches, jewelry, and educational materials, demonstrating QNET’s commitment to enhancing lives through innovative products.
As QNET continues to expand its presence in Nigeria, the partnership with Transblue is poised to empower entrepreneurs, promote economic growth, and foster a positive impact on Nigerian youth.
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