Compromised Credentials Postings on the Dark Web Increase 20% in Just One Year
Data trends show a clear upward momentum of posts from initial access brokers on the dark web, putting the spotlight on what may become cybersecurity’s greatest challenge.
Any organization that has made cybersecurity a priority is laser focused on putting preventative measures, multiple means of detection, and a response plan in place.
And yet, new data from CrowdStrike’s 2024 Global Threat Report points to one aspect of the strategy that is falling through the cracks: users are falling for credential harvesting attacks by Initial Access Brokers (IAB).
A simple act of social engineering, a credential attack only needs to get the user to believe there’s a file, etc., they need to see and when attempting to do so, are asked for their credentials. There’s no malware to detect, and IABs are smart enough to use techniques to trick users that their impersonated login sites are legitimate.
And according to the CrowdStrike report, the number of posts offering up compromised credentials are on the rise — a trend that can be seen throughout all of last year:
Source: CrowdStrike
If the chart above were an Excel chart and you added a trendline, you can already tell where it would be pointing — toward more and more posts each month. And the 2,992 posts from last year were a 20% increase over the previous year — another detail that demonstrates this is quickly becoming a trend.
As we saw with ransomware actors, there will be more IAB-centric platforms, toolkits, affiliate networks and actors getting into the game. So, what does it mean for organizations? Simple — you need to better protect users from themselves so they don’t go and offer up their credentials because they weren’t paying attention.
And it’s that lack of attention that’s the issue — something mitigated through new-school security awareness training that puts the employee into the right mindset whenever they’re asked unexpectedly for their credentials.
KnowBe4 empowers your workforce to make smarter security decisions every day. Over 65,000 organizations worldwide trust the KnowBe4 platform to strengthen their security culture and reduce human risk.
Free Phishing Security Test
Would your users fall for convincing phishing attacks? Take the first step now and find out before bad actors do. Plus, see how you stack up against your peers with phishing Industry Benchmarks. The Phish-prone percentage is usually higher than you expect and is great ammo to get budget.
Here’s how it works:
- Immediately start your test for up to 100 users (no need to talk to anyone)
- Select from 20+ languages and customize the phishing test template based on your environment
- Choose the landing page your users see after they click
- Show users which red flags they missed, or a 404 page
- Get a PDF emailed to you in 24 hours with your Phish-prone % and charts to share with management
- See how your organization compares to others in your industry
PS: Don’t like to click on redirected buttons? Cut & Paste this link in your browser: https://info.knowbe4.com/phishing-security-test-partner?partnerid=001a000001lWEoJAAW