QR codes have come a long way since being invented in 1994 by a subsidiary of Toyota. Initially introduced to address some limitations of barcodes during the car manufacturing process, QR codes have since become staples in people’s day-to-day lives. The introduction of high-powered cameras to most modern smartphones is what allowed these codes to gain new uses. QR codes, easily generated and cost...

E-commerce growth is expected to grow by 9.4% by 2024; by 2027, it’s forecasted to hit a whopping $8 trillion for the first time. More people shopping online means more opportunities for cyber criminals to strike. In fact, there’s a growing trend of cyber scams taking place during the holiday shopping spree. As we all get busy with our holiday shopping and preparations, keeping security in mind...

Retail stores are one of the oldest ways humans exchange goods and services. As they evolve, one of the most significant shifts they have undergone is the dramatic increase in technology integration within their operations. From tools to check stock to staffing management and cash registers, retail stores rely heavily on technology for almost every aspect of their business. Unfortunately, all...

Between 2022 and 2023, business email compromise (BEC) attacks rose by 55%. Furthermore, organizations that manage over 5,000 email accounts are 90% likely to receive at least one BEC attack weekly. Email is one of the most frequently used tools for both personal and professional communication. But with its convenience and accessibility also comes an onslaught of malicious threats that deliver...

While Black Friday and Cyber Monday are excellent opportunities for consumers to get hold of some great deals, they are also ideal for cyber criminals to execute cyber crimes and scams. Research shows that global e-commerce fraud is increasing, causing losses amounting to $41 billion in 2022. Later this year, the predicted losses are expected to exceed $48 billion. The retail industry is the...

“On the internet, nobody knows you’re a dog.” Cartoon by Peter Steiner There’s a reason this cartoon gained popularity in 1993 and has now become an iconic representation of how the internet works. The internet provides a way for people to hide their real identities, which can unfortunately lead to dishonest activities. Nowadays, scammers take advantage of this to deceive people who...

Social engineering has always been a prominent attack vector, skyrocketing as traditional hacks became more complicated. Even worse, hackers have begun perfecting their tactics to make them more reliable and damaging.One of the most dangerous variants is phishing, and with the help of AI, it's now becoming increasingly sophisticated. Let's discuss how AI is changing social engineering's playbook...

This year is seeing more phishing attacks in more places, having more detrimental impacts. One security messaging provider noted a 61% increase in phishing attacks between April and October 2022 compared to the same period the previous year. Another report observed that when phishing attacks were successful in 2022, financial losses from those incidents increased by 76%. In another trend,...

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools are getting more capable and creative every day. Generative AI is writing human-like prose and creating lifelike photography. 3D animation software is making those images come alive. Voice generation tools are replicating people’s voices with just a smattering of input. And it’s not coming out of Hollywood studios. Much of the excitement is due to the fact that...

Education and technology used to operate on separate tracks, but they have become increasingly interconnected in recent years. Adding software and connected devices to the classroom has given teachers more flexibility in their teaching styles and makes their job easier. However, these new tools came with essential responsibilities that took a moment to get embraced by teachers and school...

Less of a cyber security threat and closer to a scam, Vishing refers to attempts to steal information or money over the phone by convincing the victim. These calls often use personal data acquired through previous cyber attacks to gain their victim’s trust. This type of threat is definitely on the rise—especially with the help of AI. Like many other hacks and scams, Vishing is a popular attack...

Every year, phishing statistics seem to get worse. The year 2022 witnessed over 4.7 million attacks, with a significant surge occurring in Q4, accounting for 1.35 million of those incidents. This trend indicates a steady annual growth rate of 150% since 2019. There is no doubt that phishing is the leading and most dangerous modern cyber attack. Recognizing these challenges, Fortra’s Terranova...

Detectives look for footprints and fingerprints because they’re instant proof of where someone’s been, what they touched, and where they’re headed. The concept holds online, too. Your digital footprint is a map of where you (and your devices) have been, what you do online, how you behave, and where you’re probably headed next in the cyber sphere. In this article, we explain what digital...

Do you have old pages on your website that you’ve forgotten about? Obsolete projects with old domain names? Old pages that are no longer active? If so, beware. Those subdomains you’ve forgotten about can be highly valuable to cyber attackers. Keeping your organization’s website up-to-date typically means updating content. But while you focus on the new, don’t neglect any old domains or unused...

Even though your cyber heroes only work from 9-5, cyber threats are lurking 24/7. Many dangers can materialize online, requiring constant monitoring and security operations professionals to keep up with and potentially mitigate the latest threats and vulnerabilities. And with the rapid increase in global cyber attacks, the stress for cyber security professionals is through the roof. Because of...

Offices around the world have undergone a massive transformation in recent years. While a fully remote workforce remains offered by a minority of employers, the hybrid nature of workplaces is rapidly becoming the norm. A recent study by Cisco studied the cyber security challenges tied to a distributed workforce, and their cyber security readiness model created some troubling statistics. According...

The reality is simple. Phishing attacks are more prevalent than ever before.An estimated 3.4 billion fraudulent emails are sent out daily as part of phishing schemes, resulting in the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) receiving over 651,800 phishing-related complaints annually.Adjusted losses for affected organizations topped $2.4 billion, costing them losses of up to $17,700 per minute...

Over 3.4 billion phishing emails are sent out to unsuspecting recipients daily. At this rate, over 1 trillion email scams are deployed in one calendar year.The sheer enormity of these numbers makes it easier to understand how and why employees become victims of phishing email scams.Their typical email inbox is overflowing with emails from colleagues, partners, friends, family, third-party...