Cyber scams like phishing trick people into disclosing personal information or downloading malware that can then result in bad actors using these stolen identities for fraudulent activities that cost companies and individuals billions of dollars annually.
To stay safe, it’s important to understand what phishing attacks are, the different types of scams, and how to prevent them. Let’s explore a recent report that highlights the prevalence of phishing attacks and the industries that are most affected, as well as what you can do to prevent phishing attacks for yourself and your business.
A phishing attack is a form of cyber scam that uses falsified credentials – a fake email from an established company, a fake identity as a customer service or government representative, a fake homepage for a social media site, etc. – to steal identifying information like usernames and passwords from individuals, trick users into downloading dangerous malware, or taking other actions that might leave them vulnerable to other cybercrime. This is most commonly done via email or direct message on social media by claiming there’s been some kind of security incident or contest requiring you to log into your account or provide information.
Phishing relies heavily on social engineering, or forcing someone to take action via social pressure or manipulation. These attacks rely on making you feel as if you’ve done something wrong – made a bad purchase, trusted the wrong company, had a transaction bounce, etc. They also rely on creating a sense of urgency, the idea that you’ll need to resolve the problem right now or risk it getting substantially worse.
There are several types of phishing attacks to consider.
According to a new report from Vade Secure, phishing attacks have risen by 173% in Q3 of 2023 alone. The researchers comment that August was the most heavily affected month, sporting more than 207.3 million phishing attempts via email, which is nearly double the amount sent in July. This activity continued into September when an estimated 172.6 million emails were sent.
Of the most commonly impersonated companies, Facebook and Microsoft took the top spots, keeping their places since 2020. Facebook was the most impersonated overall, at 16,657 faked URLs, and experienced a rise of 169% in the prevalence of these URLs from Q2. The company accounted for more phishing URLs than all seven of the next most spoofed companies combined, whose total was 16,432 spoofs.
Though all companies saw major increases in attacks, according to Vade, the most affected companies were
The only industry that saw a decline in phishing attempts was Internet and telecommunications.
There are many things you can do to recognize and prevent fallout from a phishing attack. Here are some helpful tips.
One of the best things you can do to secure your data is to implement multi-factor authentication on your accounts. This makes it more difficult for scammers to gather all of the required information to access your data by layering security together.
If you are a business looking to implement MFA, consider using a modern, more advanced authentication method such as Photolok. Photolok is a passwordless IdP that is simple, effective, and offers a range of benefits including AI and ML defense, device authorization, and one-time-use authenticators. With Photolok, users submit images and label them for use as authenticators. When attempting to access the system, they simply choose their image from a grid. They can also label an image as Duress, which allows them access but notifies administrators so that, if they are forced to access the account, the proper authorities can be notified quickly for their safety.
You can request a demonstration of the Photolok system for further details and a consultation to see how this advanced authentication system can benefit your business.
If you are a business looking to implement MFA, consider using a more advanced authentication method such as Photolok IdP. Photolok is a passwordless IdP that is simple, effective, and offers a range of benefits including AI and ML defense, device authorization, and one-time-use authenticators. With Photolok, users select images and label them for security use. When accessing a network, application, and/or API, users simply choose their image from several photo panels, and they are in. Users can also label a photo as Duress, which acts as a silent alarm. The Duress option allows the user access but notifies IT administrators that the user’s account is compromised and they need to execute the company’s security procedure quickly to protect the company and the user’s safety.
With the Biden Administration announcing new guidelines for AI safety – including requiring innovators to share critical information with the federal government – it is clear that cybersecurity stakeholders must also defend against the serious threat AI poses to online security, privacy, and data protection.
Fortunately, Photolok IdP is available today and has been tested and found to protect against AI attacks. Photolok, a passwordless IdP, employs photos in place of passwords and uses OAuth for authentication and Open ID Connect for integration. To understand Photolok and how it protects against AI attacks, it is important to understand how AI/ML tools and techniques have made it easier for hackers to get around current password security methods.
AI/ML tools are enabling hackers to scrape the internet for personal data and find passwords. When combined with social engineering, AI technics can decipher passwords far more quickly than earlier systems. The reality is that AI password crackers can breach most passwords in seconds and more difficult ones in minutes. For example, hackers can attempt millions of possible passwords each minute using AI-driven brute-force attacks that enable hackers to take advantage of password complexity flaws. While longer passwords and phrases make it more challenging, as computational capabilities of AL and ML continue to evolve, those solutions will experience a significant reduction in efficacy.
AI technologies are also negating the cybersecurity value of two-factor authentication. For example, the common use of CAPTCHAs, known as Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart, are becoming obsolete. AI bots have become so adept at mimicking the human brain and vision that CAPTCHAs are no longer a barrier.
Making CAPTCHAs more complex is not the answer. Cengiz Acartürk, a cognition and computer scientist at Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland, says that there’s a problem with designing better CAPTCHAs because they have a built-in ceiling. “If it’s too difficult, people give up,” Acartürk says. Whether CAPTCHA puzzles are worth adding to a website may ultimately depend on whether the next step is so important to a user’s experience that a tough puzzle won’t turn away visitors while providing an appropriate level of security. AI bots are better than humans at solving CAPTCHA puzzles (qz.com)
Another way AI undermines passwords is via the use of keylogging. The use of AI can enable keyloggers to keep track of your keystrokes in order to retrieve your passwords. According to a University of Surrey study, artificial intelligence can be trained to recognize the key that is being pressed more than 90% of the time simply by listening to it. Using an Apple MAC Pro, the group recorded the sound of 25 distinct finger and pressure combinations being used to press each key on the laptop. The noises were captured during a conversation on a smartphone and during a Zoom meeting. A machine learning system was then trained to recognize the sound of each key using some of the data that had been provided to it. The algorithm was able to accurately identify which keys were being pressed 95% of the time for the call recording and 93% of the time for the Zoom recording when it was evaluated using the remaining data. What secrets can AI pick up on by eavesdropping on your typing? (govtech.com)
To combat these attack vectors, Photolok randomizes photos to mediate AI/ML attacks so that AL/ML tools cannot identify and/or learn any patterns, which prevents AI/ML breaches. Photolok uses steganographic photos (random codes hidden in the photo) to hide the attack points from nefarious hackers, while randomly placing the user’s photo on each photo panels to prevent keylogging and other security attack methods. Photolok also blocks horizontal penetrations and defends against external threats, such as ransomware, phishing, shoulder surfing, and man-in-the-middle assaults.
By Chuck Brooks
Traditionally, strong passwords have been a first-tier defense against cyber-attacks and breaches. However, with the development of AI and ML tools, the effectiveness of cyber-defense has been thoroughly diminished, especially from more sophisticated cyber actors who use AI/ML tools to circumvent password defenses. Despite the drawbacks of passwords, cyber decision-makers (CTOs, CISOs, etc.) have been hesitant to abandon them. But an innovative passwordless solution is available that can facilitate that change from passwords and enhance security strategies. It’s Netlok’s Photolok, a passwordless IdP, which employs images in place of passwords and uses OAuth for authentication and Open ID Connect for integration.
Photolok is user-friendly and provides enhanced security not available with other solutions. Photolok’s randomization of photos mediates AI/ML attacks because they cannot identify and/or learn any patterns and, therefore, prevents AI/ML breaches. The proprietary photos are used to hide attack points from nefarious actors, streamline the login process, and make point-and-click navigation easy to use.
With Photolok, bots are unable to recognize which photographs to attack. Any automated attack is substantially neutralized by the randomization of photo localizations. Moreover, the digital information hidden behind the images—which can be updated every time a login attempt is made—won’t be gathered by the bots. Any automated bot attempt to get access will certainly fail and result in the user’s account being instantly locked out.
Photolok makes the identity authentication journey easier for humans to manage. The photos are easy to remember, connect with people, and provide privacy protection. Photolok’s simplicity makes it intuitive and removes language and literacy barriers that make passwords difficult to operate. Getting rid of passwords also eliminates the costly process of password resetting and following password rules, which makes Photolok very cost-effective. To change and/or add new photos, users select and label a photo that are automatically saved in seconds.
Photolok IdP is an identity provider and an authentication server with Open ID Connect making it easier to integrate apps and APIs. With Photolok, users upload pictures from Photolok’s custom library to be used as identifiers. To authenticate their identity, the user just uploads, labels, and chooses security photos from Photolok’s custom library.
Photolok IdP can be used as a standalone MFA alternative. The availability of robust authentication techniques like multi-factor authentication (MFA) can greatly lower the risk of data loss or compromise and is one of the main benefits of adopting an identity provider (IdP). Photolok MFA IdP can confirm the user’s identity, making it more difficult for malicious parties to access private information without authorization.
Deploying single sign-on (SSO) technology also simplifies the user experience, which is another advantage of adopting an identity provider like Photolok. When used with a federator like Okta Workforce, users won’t need to remember numerous passwords, usernames, or backup authentication techniques, which lowers the total quantity of data that a business’s system must constantly monitor. For example, Netlok uses Photolok to login to its Okta Workforce account to immediately access a wide pool of apps and APIs.
Photolok is the first IdP to offer situational security protection in the public environments or even in unprotected remote work. The Photolok account owner can 1) Give permission for the device and browser to be used for Photolok identity and authentication entry, 2) Utilize the “Duress” photo to trigger an automated warning informing the IT that the account owner is having problems or that a malicious actor is forcing them to access their device, 3) Utilize the “One-Time Use” photo to stop shoulder surfing, and 4) Give permission for the alert message to be sent each time the user opens their account. Photolok is a major innovative development in digital security systems, particularly in its capabilities to mitigate AI generated threats. Photolok effectively removes a great deal of the shortcomings in the current security paradigm. More significantly, Photolok blocks horizontal penetrations and defends against external threats, such as ransomware, phishing, keylogging, shoulder surfing, and man-in-the-middle assaults. In effect, Photolok lessens the user’s burden while improving online digital security, which is essential for widespread adoption by both businesses and consumers.
Data breaches have become increasingly common in the last few years thanks to an increase in the sophistication of data collection and infiltration technology. The frequency and severity of such breaches are only expected to increase.
Because of this, it is crucial for organizations to take proactive measures to secure their sensitive data. To do this, it’s best to begin by exploring the reality of data breach frequency and the importance of investing in advanced authentication methods, such as Netlok’s Photolok technology, to protect against cyber threats.
According to IBM’s annual report, more than 550 organizations in the United States have been affected by serious data breaches in the past year. In total, there were more than 493 million individual ransomware attacks globally in 2022 and more than 3.4 billion phishing scam emails – including those posing as LinkedIn, which accounted for more than half of the total scam emails.
That same IBM report states that the global average cost of a data breach in 2023 has risen 15% in the past three years, to more than $4.45 million, while Cybersecurity Ventures estimates that the cost is even greater, at more than $8 trillion in 2023. They predict that the cost will only go up from there, to as much as $10.5 trillion in 2025.
Forbes reported in March of this year that, “While cybersecurity capabilities and awareness seem to be improving, unfortunately the threat and sophistication of cyber-attacks are matching that progress.” Cyber attacks have evolved from obviously false emails to well-manicured duplicates with disguised senders and from simple smash-and-grab data mining to well-planned DDOS takedowns of massive industry standards and even government software including a Ukrainian satellite.
Possibly the most threatening advancement is that of AI tools, which can process password decryption much faster than previous programs. These programs can then use the data collected to improve phishing attempts and collect even more data as well as expose vulnerabilities with assets like cryptocurrency.
Roughly 51% of organizations have plans to increase security around their customers’ data and personal information. To do this, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency of the United States recommends implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA) into your organization’s data security network. MFA is the use of multiple identity verification methods to ensure that only authorized individuals have access to sensitive data.
While traditionally, MFA relies on passwords and devices, these options are quickly becoming the targets of scammer AI training and replication programs. There are, however, newer options available to you for MFA. One excellent example is Netlok’s Photolok technology.
With Photolok, users are asked to verify their identity by uploading and labeling an image. This image can be of anything, and, when the user or anyone else attempts to access their information, it will appear alongside other similar images. Users will need to select the appropriate image as a secondary identification format.
Photolok also includes a method of alerting authorities in the event of a dangerous situation that may force a user to log in while under the influence of a bad actor. This Duress photo option can help to ensure a user’s safety and the prompt response of authorities in one quick and undetectable – from the user side – move.
With no passwords or questions to crack, many AI programs are rendered useless against Photolok. The system also includes protections against lateral penetrations, bots, ransomware, keylogging, SIM card swapping, and shoulder surfing with features like one-time-use photo verifications and device authorization.
The growing frequency and sophistication of data breaches in the modern world present a significant threat to organizations and individuals alike. Investing in advanced authentication methods like multi-factor authentication (MFA) is now more than ever crucial to protecting sensitive data from cyber-attacks.
With options like Netlok’s Photolok technology, organizations can implement a highly secure MFA system that is resistant to AI programs and other forms of cyber attacks. As the threat of data breaches continues to increase, it is essential for organizations to stay vigilant in protecting their data and invest in advanced security measures to safeguard against cyber criminals.
Cybersecurity is a major focus for individuals and businesses in the modern world. Because most of our infrastructure runs through the Internet, we need reliable ways to ensure that what belongs to us stays with us and doesn’t fall into the hands of someone who might use it inappropriately or hurt us with it.
There are many ways you can improve your personal or business cybersecurity efforts, and one of the simplest and most effective is to improve your authentication systems with MFA.
According to the Computer Security Resource Center at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, authentication is defined as “the process of verifying the identity of a user, process, or device, often as a prerequisite to allowing access to resources in an information system.” Essentially, this is a website, brand, company, or other entity’s way of ensuring that the information you give them is safe and that only you can access it. It’s essentially a method for creating a digital identification card for each entity you work with, which you present to them in order to access special perks, make transactions in a commerce space, share information in a community, or otherwise use your own personal identity online.
The usual process for this is simple: you give the website (or other entity, but for convenience, we’ll say website) a piece of identifying information – usually a unique username, email address, or membership number – and pair that with a password that works as a key. The website takes this information to create a unique identification code. When you input the identifying information and the password together into the website, that identification code is “unlocked” and allows you to access any personal information you choose to share with them, from payment cards to order histories to addresses to important documentation.
Unfortunately, it’s relatively easy to steal someone’s password. People may write down their passwords, tell them to friends, or use the same password across multiple accounts. Thieves will also use programs that use algorithmic testing to generate the correct password and crack into your account. If this happens, your personal information is at risk of misuse or theft.
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a method of authenticating data in multiple steps so that your information is more secure. Think of it like adding additional locks and keys to your security system.
In a system with MFA, when you create your login credentials, you’ll be prompted to connect a secondary method of identification. This most often comes in the form of a phone number, email, or authentication application. The system sends a unique code, usually about six digits long, to your secondary identification. You then enter this code into the space provided in the system, which, to return to the metaphor from before, acts as a key to the second lock on your information.
From there, every time you log into your account, you’ll be prompted to enter one of these unique codes from the second source, meaning there is an extra step with an outside device or system that you need access to covering your information. This means that, even if they do get your password, malevolent forces can’t access your information.
Of course, no system is without its risks. If, somehow, a bad actor gets into your account even with MFA, they can change the secondary identifier to something they own, locking you out of your account without changing your credentials. Additionally, if you lose access to your secondary identification, you’ll be locked out of your account. Usually, this can be resolved with a call to your system’s technical support center, but it is a risk to be aware of.
That being said, technology is evolving in the space of bad actors that are capable of mimicking authentication applications and bypassing MFA with computer viruses. Text messages are notoriously unsecured, meaning that, if a hacker can gain access to your phone or text records, they can bypass MFA that way. These technologies are still in early stages, but have been known to cause serious damage when not properly addressed by the systems using MFA.
Some of the best ways to combat these issues with MFA are to
No system is perfect, but if a cybersecurity measure is effective, it’s worth trying. MFA has been a trusted cybersecurity measure for many years because it is, to a large degree, effective. The technology behind it has evolved and advanced over time at pace with the technology that is used to foil it, so, combined with other measures like conscious data protection and encryption, MFA can be a useful and powerful part of a good cybersecurity strategy.
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