Cybercriminals Employ Innovative Tactics in Phishing Attacks, Report Finds

Novel Techniques Include Misuse of Web Translation, Image-Only Emails, and Special Characters

Cybercriminals Employ Innovative Tactics in Phishing Attacks, Report Finds

A new report reveals that cybercriminals used three innovative tactics in phishing attacks during January 2023, including the misuse of web translation, image-only emails, and the insertion of special characters. According to IT security firm Barracuda Networks, these tactics each account for less than 1% of attempted phishing attacks but have affected 11-15% of organizations, often with multiple attacks.

Parag Khurana, Country Manager of Barracuda Networks India, emphasized the need for AI-enhanced email protection to defend against these well-disguised attacks. The first tactic involves using Google Translate web links to direct recipients to phishing websites. The second tactic relies on image-based attacks without text, making it difficult for traditional email security to detect them. The third tactic involves using special characters, such as zero-width Unicode code points or non-Latin script, to evade detection while remaining invisible to the recipient.

Snehal-Vakilna-Cyber-Lawyer-Security-Expert

International Cyber Lawyer, Investigator and Data Privacy Specialist Snehal Vakilna from Surat says, "It has been recent trend most probably practice by cyber crimnals to manipulate victims and make them install an application which will ultimately mirror their gadgets and compromise the sensative confidential information and misuse the same in their interest." 

As cyberattacks continue to rise in India, the report highlights the importance of employing advanced email security measures to protect against these evolving threats.