Skip to main content

Email security threats are more dangerous than ever - here's what you need to know

The use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as Chat-GPT and the increasing popularity of cloud services have made spam and phishing emails infinitely more dangerous, new research has claimed.

A new report from the VIPRE Security Group found that as consumers started using the cloud more, so did hackers. Link-based malware delivery made up 58% of all malicious emails for the quarter, while attachments made up the remaining 42%. 

Cloud storage services have greatly developed as a malspam delivery method, too, accounting for 67% of all malspam delivery methods in the quarter, VIPRE said. Legitimate but compromised websites made up the remaining 33%.

Cloud and chatbots

At the same time, the use of generative AI tools made spam and phishing emails harder to spot. Usually, it was poor grammar, spelling mistakes, or weird formatting, that gave it away and allowed the victims to spot a phishing email before downloading an attachment or clicking a link. 

Now, with the help of AI tools such as Chat-GPT, hackers can create well-formatted, highly literate messages, that are indistinguishable from benign ones. This forces the victims to deploy additional countermeasures to combat the threat.

In general, VIPRE’s tools detected 233.9 million malicious emails in the third quarter of the year, alone. 110 million emails were attributed to malicious content, while 118 million to malicious attachments. Finally, 150,000 emails displayed “previously unknown behaviors” suggesting that hackers are constantly trying out new things and evolving their tactics for maximum performance.

Phishing and spam remain one of the most popular attack vectors for every hacker’s arsenal. They’re cheap to produce and deploy, and with a little luck, can reach large numbers of potential victims. Businesses are advised to educate their employees on the dangers of phishing, and to make sure they scrutinize every email coming in, regardless of who the sender is.

More from TechRadar Pro



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Windows Copilot leak suggests deeper assimilation with Windows 11 features

Key Windows 11 features may soon be customizable as Microsoft further integrates its Windows Copilot AI assistant into the operating system. This tidbit comes from tech news site Windows Latest , which claims to have discovered new .json (JavaScript Object Notation) files within recent preview builds of Windows 11. These files apparently hint at future upgrades for the desktop AI assistant. For example, a “TaskManagerService-ai-plugin.json” was found which is supposedly a “plugin for Task Manager integration”. If this ever comes out, it could give users the ability to “monitor or close running apps using” Copilot. In total, six are currently tested and they affect various aspects of Windows 11. Next, there is an “AccessbilityTools-ai-plugin.json” that gives Copilot a way to “control accessibility [tools]. This would make it "easier for those with [a] disability to navigate through the system.” Third is “ai-plugin-WindowsSettings.json” for controlling important Windows 11 set...
Post a Comment
Read more

Google Chrome releases security fix for this major flaw, so update now

Google says it has fixed a high-severity flaw in its Chrome browser which is currently being exploited by threat actors in the wild.  In a security advisory , the company described the flaw being abused and urged the users to apply the fix immediately.  "Google is aware that an exploit for CVE-2023-2033 exists in the wild," the advisory reads. Automatic updates The zero-day in question is a confusion weakness vulnerability in the Chrome V8 JavaScript engine, the company said. Usually, this type of flaw can be used to crash the browser, but in this case it can also be used to run arbitrary code on compromised endpoints.  The flaw was discovered by Clement Lecigne from the Google Threat Analysis Group (TAG). Usually, TAG works on finding flaws abused by nation-states, or state-sponsored threat actors. There is no word on who the threat actors abusing this flaw are, though. Read more > Patch Google Chrome now to fix this emergency security flaw > Emergency...
Post a Comment
Read more

Samsung's ViewFinity S9 may be the monitor creatives have been searching for

Originally revealed during CES 2023 , Samsung has finally launched its ViewFinity S9 5K monitor after nine long months of waiting.  According to the announcement, the ViewFinity S9 is the company’s first-ever 5K resolution (5,120 x 2880 pixels) IPS display aimed primarily at creatives. IPS stands for in-plane switching , a form of LED tech offering some of the best color output and viewing angles on the market. This quality is highlighted by the fact that the 27-inch screen supports 99 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut plus delivers 600 nits of brightness.  Altogether, these deliver great picture quality made vibrant by saturated colors and dark shadows. The cherry on top for the ViewFinity S9 is a Matte Display coating to “drastically [reduce] light reflections.”  As a direct rival to the Apple Studio Display , the monitor is an alternative for creative professionals looking for options. It appears Samsung has done its homework as the ViewFinity S9 addresses some of...
Post a Comment
Read more