Latest cybersecurity reporting from selected sources.

Email attacks overtook exploits as the top ransomware root cause last year. Multifactor authentication (MFA) was deployed in 97% of credential-based attacks but failed to prevent compromise.

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) was supposed to close a critical gap in identity security. It meant that, even if an attacker possessed the account credentials, they couldn't log in without the second factor. While that logic was sound, attackers have now figured out that they don't need to steal the second factor: they just need the user to hand it over

Threat actors brute-forced VPN credentials and bypassed multi-factor authentication (MFA) on SonicWall Gen6 SSL-VPN appliances to deploy tools used in ransomware attacks. [...]

Stolen credentials turn authentication systems into the attack surface. Token shows how wearable biometric authentication verifies the user—not the session—blocking phishing relays and MFA bypass. [...]

Organizations typically roll out multi-factor authentication (MFA) and assume stolen passwords are no longer enough to access systems. In Windows environments, that assumption is often wrong. Attackers still compromise networks every day using valid credentials. The issue is not MFA itself, but coverage.  Enforced through an identity provider (IdP) such as Microsoft Entra ID, Okta, or

Mandiant says a wave of recent ShinyHunters SaaS data-theft attacks is being fueled by targeted voice phishing (vishing) attacks and company-branded phishing sites that steal single sign-on (SSO) credentials and multi-factor authentication (MFA) codes. [...]

File-sharing platform ownCloud warned users today to enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) to block attackers using compromised credentials from stealing their data. [...]

Passwords and app-based MFA add hidden costs through lost productivity, frequent resets, and risk of phishing and social engineering attacks. Token explains how wireless biometric, passwordless authentication eliminates credential-based attacks and delivers measurable financial returns by reducing login time across the enterprise. [...]

Cybersecurity researchers have documented four new phishing kits named BlackForce, GhostFrame, InboxPrime AI, and Spiderman that are capable of facilitating credential theft at scale

Okta uncovers new phishing-as-a-service operation with 'multiple entities' falling victim Multiple attackers using a new phishing service dubbed VoidProxy to target organizations' Microsoft and Google accounts have successfully stolen users' credentials, multi-factor authentication codes, and session tokens in real time, according to security researchers.…

Multiple npm packages have been compromised as part of a software supply chain attack after a maintainer's account was compromised in a phishing attack

Popular password manager plugins for web browsers have been found susceptible to clickjacking security vulnerabilities that could be exploited to steal account credentials, two-factor authentication (2FA) codes, and credit card details under certain conditions

As Agentic AI Takes Over Workflows, Traditional Authentication Practices Fall ShortThe explosion of agentic AI and autonomous bots to orchestrate cross-system tasks is turning MFA into a brittle defense. Non-human identities often bypass human-centric security controls, operating with static credentials and undefined ownership, creating exploitable identity risks.

If a credential is worth protecting, it's worth protecting well. Sponsored feature What do flossing and multi-factor authentication (MFA) have in common? Each is highly beneficial, yet far too few people do them consistently. MFA helps protect organizations from credential-based attacks, but according to the Cyber Readiness Institute, only 35% of businesses globally bother with it.…

Hackers Bypass MFA to Steal Australians' Banking CredentialsMelbourne-based ANZ Bank will introduce passwordless authentication for digital banking services amid news that hackers have stolen the banking credentials of tens of thousands of Australians. Cybercriminals used infostealer malware to steal the credentials of more than 30,000 Australians.

A help desk phishing campaign targets an organization's Microsoft Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS) using spoofed login pages to steal credentials and bypass multi-factor authentication (MFA) protections. [...]

Cybersecurity researchers have detailed a new adversary-in-the-middle (AitM) phishing kit that's capable of Microsoft 365 accounts with an aim to steal credentials and two-factor authentication (2FA) codes since at least October 2024

Cybersecurity researchers are warning about malicious email campaigns leveraging a phishing-as-a-service (PhaaS) toolkit called Rockstar 2FA with an aim to steal Microsoft 365 account credentials

A 26-year-old man in Ontario, Canada has been arrested for allegedly stealing data from and extorting more than 160 companies that used the cloud data service Snowflake. On October 30, Canadian authorities arrested Alexander Moucka, a.k.a. Connor Riley Moucka of Kitchener, Ontario, on a provisional arrest warrant from the United States. Bloomberg first reported Moucka's alleged ties to the Snowflake hacks on Monday. At the end of 2023, malicious hackers learned that many large companies had uploaded huge volumes of sensitive customer data to Snowflake accounts that were protected with little more than a username and password (no multi-factor authentication required). After scouring darknet markets for stolen Snowflake account credentials, the hackers began raiding the data storage repositories used by some of the world’s largest corporations.

Push Fatigue Attacks Succeed 5% of the Time, Surge in the Morning, Researchers FindMultifactor authentication is a must-have security defense for repelling outright credential stuffing and password spraying attacks. But no defense is foolproof. Attackers have been refining their tactics for bypassing MFA, including using technology and trickery.