1 min read

New Phishing Attacks Use HTML Email Attachments

HTML attachments as an attack vector may seem a little old school. However, according to statistics compiled by Kaspersky Lab indicates that in 2022, that form of attack is not just simply still being employed, but hackers are making surprisingly regular use of it.  The security company detected more than two million emails of this kind targeting Kaspersky customers in the first four months of the year (2022).

The specific breakdown of monthly instances looks like this:

  • January 2022: 299,859 instances
  • February 2022: 451,020 instances
  • March 2022: 851,328 instances
  • And April 2022: 386,908 instances

The researchers aren’t clear on exactly what caused the huge spike in March but they note that it returned to expected levels the month following.

Using HTML attachments as an attack vector saw a big spike in 2019 and then it seemed to fall out of favor. The number of instances dropped markedly and prompted some security researchers to conclude that, based on current trajectories, the attack vector was on the way out.

The last four months seem to have disproved that notion and HTML attachments are back in fashion in the underbelly of the web.

It’s important to remember that merely opening these files is in many cases enough to have JavaScript run on your system. That could lead to the target system being hijacked using a malware-assembly-on-disk scheme that could allow it to bypass antivirus software entirely.

This isn’t something that gets mentioned very often in employee email safety training, but it should be.

As ever, the best defense against any type of phishing attack is to treat any incoming email message from a sender you don’t know with a healthy dose of skepticism. If that email contains an attachment, those attachments should be treated even more skeptically. If you’re looking for cybersecurity and phishing protection on the West Coast, contact Heroic Tech today!

Used with permission from Article Aggregator

Why Your Business Should Use a Password Manager

To the average person, it’s too easy to forget a password and leave themselves vulnerable to account lockout, which can end up being a real hassle....

Read More

AirPods Pro Repair Program Extended For Static Sound Problems

Are you an AirPods Pro owner? Do yours crackle and hiss? If you answered yes to both of those questions be aware that Apple has recently extended the...

Read More
Why Legal Practices Need San Jose IT Support & Managed Services

Why Legal Practices Need San Jose IT Support & Managed Services

Managed IT is crucial for law firms trying to deal with the complexities of managing technology. These services include a variety of solutions aimed...

Read More

The Rising Threat of Cyber Attacks: A Modern Challenge

Cyber threats have transformed significantly over the years, progressing from basic spyware in the early 2000s to today’s sophisticated attacks that...

Read More

Top 10 Brands That Phishing Attackers Use to Scam Users

Scammers delight in impersonating government agencies and well-known brands to lure email recipients into giving up their personal information. That...

Read More

E-Mail From Department Of Labor Could Be Phishing Attack

There is a new phishing campaign to keep a watchful eye on according to email security firm INKY. It’s a particularly fiendish one.

Read More