In a new blog post from Aaron Higbee, CTO of PhishMe, a new security risk is discussed, which specifically targets college graduates. PhishMe has identified that hackers are infiltrating universities for the purpose of stealing credentials, to gain access to user accounts to send spam or use university resources.
In the post Higbee tells readers:
University spear-phishing attacks typically don’t employ a high level of sophisticated. Attacks don’t pack the attacks with malware or set up command and control to go after students and faculty
Enterprises face much more varied and dangerous risks, as cyber criminals, nation-states, and hacktivists are all targeting their intellectual property and sensitive information. In addition to the data entry tactics, employees at large organizations receive highly targeted and customized spear phishing emails containing malicious links and attachments. Adversaries use a variety of continually evolving social engineering techniques, such as conversational phishing, to trick recipients. A young employee who has never received a targeted phishing email may not realize how adversaries gather details to write emails tailored to the recipient and organization, nor understand the implications of clicking on a malicious link or attachment. They may think they know what spear phishing is based on university security awareness campaigns. Furthermore, this generation of new workers is extremely connected through social media, providing attackers with ample information to use in targeted emails.
New employees – whether young or experienced – may also think their role is not significant enough to merit receiving a targeted email, or that security isn’t their responsibility. Last fall, PhishMe commissioned a poll that revealed almost half of all respondents were more concerned about being phished at home than at work. There is definitely a prevailing notion in the workforce that security is the IT department’s concern, a view some in our industry recklessly share. As they begin their jobs, this year’s graduating seniors will undergo a great deal of training, both formal and informal, so why shouldn’t security be part of that?