Threat Watcher

Researchers describe a real phishing-driven malware operation ("PhantomEnigma") that abuses compromised Brazilian government websites and mailboxes to appear trustworthy. Victims are lured with fake law-enforcement style documents (e.g., “Ofício” summons or “Procuração Digital”) and pushed to…

Attackers are taking over hotel and conference Wi‑Fi gateways and changing DNS settings so travelers are silently redirected to fake Microsoft 365 sign-in pages. Victims are then tricked into completing a device-code login that grants attackers a legitimate session token, often bypassing MFA. This…

Cisco Talos incident responders reported phishing as the most common initial entry method in recent real-world incidents, including an ongoing QR-code phishing campaign. The campaign uses victim-tailored PDF attachments with QR codes that lead to Microsoft 365 credential-harvesting pages hosted on…

This weekly roundup describes multiple real-world campaigns where attackers trick people using familiar brands and “verification” prompts to steal credentials or install remote-control tools. The common theme is trust abuse: messages and web pages look legitimate, then push users to log in, click…

Cisco Talos Incident Response reports that phishing drove initial access in over half of Q2 2026 cases, often using QR codes in PDF attachments and trusted cloud hosting to evade email defenses. Attackers frequently bypassed multi-factor authentication using adversary-in-the-middle proxies,…

Attackers are calling employees on Microsoft Teams while pretending to be internal IT support, then persuading them to approve a Microsoft Quick Assist remote-control session. Once the employee approves, the attacker can take control of the computer and use PowerShell to install a Go-based backdoor…

Proofpoint linked multiple real-world email campaigns to “Cruciferra,” a commercial crypter service that helps criminals hide malware from security tools. The campaigns used familiar social-engineering themes, tax documents, U.S. Social Security Administration messages, and even bed-bug complaints,…

Researchers report Mirage Kitten (an espionage-focused threat group) targeted organizations in the Middle East and Africa using highly tailored spear‑phishing. The lures included recruitment-themed messages impersonating trusted brands/hiring sites and fake videoconferencing pages that redirected…

Researchers reported a real phishing campaign targeting Call of Duty Mobile players with a fake “free Call of Duty Points” giveaway site. Victims are tricked into entering their email/password and then a one-time 2FA code, allowing attackers to take over accounts and potentially access linked…

Researchers report attackers compromising hotel and venue Wi‑Fi “captive portal” gateways to redirect Microsoft 365 sign-ins to attacker-controlled lookalike domains. Victims can have their Microsoft 365 credentials stolen without clicking a phishing link or installing malware, because the…

Attackers are compromising hotel and conference center Wi‑Fi gateways and changing DNS settings so business travelers are silently redirected to fake Microsoft 365 login pages. When victims sign in, attackers steal passwords and potentially session tokens, allowing account takeover even when…

Researchers found a campaign of deceptive Android apps on Google Play that pretend to be helpful tools (alarms, calendars, cleaners) but show full-screen ads right after a phone call ends. The apps persuade users to grant special “appear on top” (overlay) permissions so the ads can pop up over…

Researchers documented a real phishing operation that used Telegram “secret chats” to send fake security warnings to specific people, including an exiled Belarusian activist and users in Russia and Kazakhstan. Victims were pushed to click a personalized link and enter Telegram’s one-time login code…

A sextortion email campaign is using real leaked email addresses from ShinyHunters-related data dumps to make threats sound credible. The scammers impersonate the “ShinyHunters hacking group,” claim they recorded victims via webcam, and demand $2,000 in Bitcoin within 48 hours. Reporting indicates…

A voicemail-themed phishing campaign (“Kali365 Ringer”) targeted financial and insurance organizations using a missed-call notification and a Google Sites page to appear legitimate. Victims were redirected through multiple trusted services and instructed to approve a Microsoft device-code login…

Researchers report attackers compromising hotel and conference Wi‑Fi gateway equipment to silently redirect travelers to fake Microsoft 365 sign-in pages, without sending phishing emails. In some cases, attackers also abuse Microsoft device-code login prompts so victims unintentionally approve…

Researchers reported a real phishing campaign (“Operation BlueDash”) that tricks users with a “secure document” lure and routes them to a fake Microsoft Store page that claims Microsoft Teams must be updated. The download installs legitimate remote access tools (Level RMM and ScreenConnect) so…

Researchers report multiple real-world email phishing campaigns that used tax and government-benefit themes to trick people into downloading malware. The campaigns used a “crypter” service called Cruciferra to hide malicious files and help malware run while avoiding detection. Targets included…

ReliaQuest reports attackers are compromising public Wi‑Fi “captive portal” gateways (such as in hotels and conference centers) and changing their DNS settings to redirect users to attacker-controlled pages. The goal is to harvest traveling employees’ Microsoft 365 credentials using…

Researchers found attackers taking over hotel and conference-center Wi‑Fi gateways and silently redirecting guests to fake Microsoft 365 sign-in pages to steal credentials. In some cases, the attackers also tried to route broader device traffic through a malicious proxy (WPAD) or trick users into…