Researchers from Barracuda and UC Berkeley, conducting a large-scale analysis of email account takeover and the timeline of attacks, recently highlighted the behaviors hackers are using to try to avoid detection, ways to identify suspicious activity that could indicate an email account has been compromised, and precautions you can take to protect your business.
Here’s a closer look at account takeover, including a detailed timeline analysis and what it reveals about the evolving tactics of cybercriminals, as well as best practices and solutions to help detect and block attacks.
Cybercriminals use brand impersonation, social engineering, and phishing to steal login credentials and access an email account. Once the account is compromised, hackers monitor and track activity to learn how the company does business, the email signatures they use, and the way financial transactions are handled, so they can launch subsequent phishing attacks, including harvesting financial information and additional login credentials for other accounts.