Resources

Blog

How Fortra's Clearswift Secure Email Gateway Aligns to NCSC's Email Security Guidelines

Working in cybersecurity is one of the most challenging roles in the organisation. Not only are you tasked with keeping the business and its data safe and secure, but you must do so in the face of ever-increasing professionalism and sophistication on the part of cybercriminals. There are more threats than ever before, and the consequences of a data breach are more significant too. In recent Fortra...
Blog

March Madness Challenge for Cybersecurity Professionals

Let the "madness" begin! The NCAA Basketball tournament is different for everyone. Some experience madness after a gut-wrenching triple overtime victory by their alma mater, while others after a buzzer-beater shot from half-court by a 16th-ranked Cinderella underdog that instantly knocks out one of your final four selections. However, to me there is nothing more maddening, in the delightful sense...
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What is a DMARC Policy?: The 3 Types, Which to Implement & Other Requirements

In this post, we’ll briefly explain what a DMARC policy is , how to set up your DMARC email record, what the three types of DMARC policies are and when to implement each one, and how to diagnose and fix any issues associated with it. Basically, your DMARC policy tells email receivers what to do with illegitimate or possibly fraudulent emails—whether to reject, quarantine, or accept them. Overall...
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Are You Ready for PCI DSS 4.0?

PCI DSS 4.0 is here. If your organization handles PII data, you will need to be compliant with the new updates. We take a look at the new version and what it takes to stay compliant.
Blog

Are Broad Email Security Policies Slowing You Down?

Creating policies for your organization's email security can be complex, time consuming, and even stressful. There are nearly a thousand exceptions that make a case for why policy development and deployment cannot be a standard one-size-fits-all practice. Learn how Fortra's Clearswift can keep your organization safe without slowing you down.
Blog

Cyber Defense Magazine: New PhishLabs Research Details .ZIP Abuse

Fortra’s PhishLabs has identified two separate incidents of new Google top-level domain (TLD) .zip used in phishing attacks. The attacks, detailed in the September issue of Cyber Defense Magazine, use .zip to impersonate a social media conglomerate and global technology company. Look-alike domains using common file extensions are increasingly used to enhance the perceived legitimacy of cyber...
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Attacks on Credit Unions Exceed All Other Industries in Q2

ccording to Forta’s Phishlabs, credit unions became the top targeted industry on the dark web in Q2, surpassing banking institutions for the first time since we began reporting on this data in 2021. Financial institutions as a whole experienced the vast majority of abuse, with compromised credit card data leading all threat types on the dark web. Every quarter, Fortra’s PhishLabs analyzes hundreds...
Blog

Microsoft's Defender for Identity – Is it Enough?

In early 2023, Microsoft launched Defender for Identity which aims to offer visibility by helping to identify threats and provide actionable reports on attacks. But M365 security is not completely adequate for the modern enterprise and must be augmented by other data security solutions.
Blog

QBot Operations Peak Pre-Takedown, O365 Attacks Increase in Q2

Cybercriminals doubled down on popular threat types and preferred malicious software in Q2, with O365 phish and QBot malware dominating inboxes by significant margins. QBot operations eclipsed all other malware once again, reaching their highest volume of share just before a multinational takedown Tuesday removed malicious code from more than 700,000 computers. Similarly, but lacking in disruption...
Blog

The Top Three Domain Protection Best Practices

Impersonating an organization’s domain can be a lucrative business for cybercriminals. Fortra’s 2023 Domain Impersonation Report found that the average brand is targeted by 40 look-alike domains per month. The two common types of domain impersonation are look-alike domains and email spoofing.
Blog

The Use of Natural Language Processing for Identifying and Mitigating Threats

As technology advances, the battle between cyber criminals and organizations intensifies. Cyber threats have become more sophisticated, complex, and widespread, posing a significant risk to the security and integrity of sensitive data. In Q1 2023 alone, the number of global cyber attacks increased by 7% , with an average of 1,248 attacks reported per week. In a separate report by The Independent...
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Phishing Sites Impersonating Social Media Jump in Q2

In Q2, phishing attacks targeting social media platforms increased more than 23%, according to Fortra’s PhishLabs. This is the greatest volume of attacks on social media in two years and puts the industry ahead of historically top targeted financial institutions. Every quarter, Fortra’s PhishLabs examines hundreds of thousands of phishing attacks targeting enterprises and their brands. In this...
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Q2 Payload Report

QBot dominated as the top payload in Q2 with more than 95% of reported volume, according to Fortra’s PhishLabs. This is the third consecutive quarter QBot has led all other malware varieties by a significant majority. QBot was also consistently reported as a top payload in 2022, falling second only to Emotet and Redline Stealer before its current streak. Email payloads remain the primary delivery...
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Common Social Media Scams and How to Avoid Them

While there are an estimated 30,000 daily cyber attacks on business websites, there are roughly ten times as many attacks against social media accounts every single day, equating to roughly 1.4 billion accounts every month. Social media attacks and scams have become pervasive problems, with threat actors finding innovative new ways to deceive users and steal their information. While social media...
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The Royal & BlackCat Ransomware: What you Need to Know

The US healthcare sector continues to be aggressively targeted by ransomware operators. Royal and BlackCat are two of the more recent – and highly sophisticated – ransomware threats. These two new flavors of ransomware pose serious potential impacts on the healthcare sector, but there are appropriate mitigation and defense strategies that organizations can take to protect against them. What is...