Posts by DTSMSP

Spear phishing scams targeted at businesses have proven to be very lucrative for cybercriminals. For example, since January 2015, hackers have stolen over $3 billion (USD) from more than 22,000 companies worldwide using a type of spear phishing attack known as a Business Email Compromise (BEC) scam, according to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). BEC scams specifically target companies that regularly send wire transfer payments or work with foreign suppliers.

The main reason why BEC and other types of spear phishing scams are so effective is that they are personalized.

Hackers have unleashed a new kind of malware that damages the systems of Internet of Things (IoT) devices so extensively the devices become useless. The malware has been dubbed BrickerBot because it turns these devices into little more than expensive bricks.

Security researchers are unsure why hackers are destroying IoT devices. What’s not in question, though, is the seriousness of this malware threat.