Cybercriminals were more active in 2017 than ever before, with a staggering array of high-profile hacking incidents in the news each month. Here are four of the ways hackers used phishing to penetrate some of the most secure networks in the country last year.
Shipping Info Scam: Last July, an Internet security company called Comodo outlined a phishing strategy that was zeroing in on small businesses. Hackers sent phishing e-mails out to more than 3,000 businesses with the subject line “Shipping information.” When the recipient clicked the tracking link in the body of the e-mail, it downloaded malware to their PCs.
WannaCry: This widespread ransomware exploited a weak point in the Windows operating system to infiltrate networks across the country. Once it was in, the malware locked users out of their files and demanded a hefty ransom to retrieve their data.
The Shadow Brokers: Last April, the ominously named Shadow Brokers released a huge number of classified tools used by the NSA, including Windows exploits, which hackers then used to infect businesses throughout the world.
Google Docs Phishing: In May, hackers sent out false Google Docs editing requests to over 3 million individuals. You know how the story goes — when recipients clicked the link, phishers gained access to their entire Gmail account.
SmallBizTrends.com 08/29/2017
