Page 9 - Threat Intelligence 12-20-2019

Social Engineering

Windows 10 expiration scams are hitting computers and phones. Here's what to do. Question: I’m using
Windows 10 that came installed on my computer and got a pop-up saying my windows license is expiring
soon. What do I need to do? Answer: Windows 10 retail and OEM licenses (those that come preloaded on
name brand machines) don’t ever expire. Either your machine received a scam pop-up; your computer has
been loaded with a volume license that belongs to a large organization or possibly an Insider Preview version
of Windows 10. Scam pop-ups are usually very easy to identify because they include a toll-free phone number
to call to get a new license and may even use the misspelled word ‘licence’ in the warning. Microsoft will
never include a phone number to call and they certainly wouldn’t use the word ‘licence’ either.

Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/tips/2019/12/14/windows-10-isnt-expiring-look-out-
pop-up-phone-scams/2639623001/

Cybercriminals Use Green Padlock Icon to Trick Victims. The green padlock icon has been associated with
security for quite some time. Although Google has abandoned it for its Chrome browser, the icon continues to
be considered as an indicator of safety. Criminals are exploiting this belief and branding fraudulent sites with
the green padlock icon. The green padlock represents that the data exchanged with the website in question is
encrypted. Although this represents encryption, the existence of this icon does not mean that every site with
this icon is secure. Even when you see the icon, it is always a good practice to check the address bar for typos
of legitimate websites to check if you’re accessing a phishing site or not.
Source: https://cyware.com/news/cybercriminals-use-green-padlock-icon-to-trick-victims-ba277e9b

Financial Services Get Hooked, Experience 147% Increase in Phishing Clicks. According to JPMorgan Chase
CEO Jamie Dimon, “The threat of cyber security may very well be the biggest threat to the US financial
system.” Coupled with the fact that financial services is one of the most highly targeted industries, it’s clear
financial organizations are in trouble. Reports show a 56% year-over-year increase in digital threats targeting
the sector, and according to new research, phishing is a key threat vector. The overall trend of employees
clicking on phishing links is steadily increasing within the financial services industry. From January to
September 2019, there was a 147% increase in total number of clicks on phishing links, with one particular
attack in May causing a temporary spike of 274% among Menlo Security’s customers. Given the data refers to
actual clicks rather than phishing emails received, this means that the attack bypassed all existing security
defenses, landed in an inbox and was clicked by an employee—basically a worst case scenario.

Source: https://www.menlosecurity.com/blog/financial-services-get-hooked-experience-147-increase-
in-phishing-clicks

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