Impersonation attacks mimic trusted people or services to trick users into sharing credentials, sending money, or bypassing security controls.
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Background for this topic.
Impersonation is the deliberate presentation of a person, organization, account, device, or service as another trusted identity. In information security, attackers use stolen credentials, look-alike domains, caller-ID or email spoofing, forged messages, and social engineering to persuade users or systems to accept that false identity. The aim may be account takeover, unauthorized access, fraudulent transactions, or disclosure of sensitive information.
Impersonation commonly targets identity providers, email and messaging systems, help desks, executives, suppliers, and customer-support channels. Useful controls include phishing-resistant multi-factor authentication, least-privilege access, email authentication and domain monitoring, and independent verification of unusual requests—especially changes to payment details or credentials. Detection and response depend on examining authentication logs, device and session context, reported fraudulent messages, and newly registered look-alike domains; compromised accounts should be revoked or reset promptly and impersonated parties notified where appropriate.
Weekly headline count for the current query.
A threat actor has published hundreds of fake GitHub repositories impersonating legitimate software and security projects to distribute infostealer malware. [...]
Specops Software explains how AI is making service desk impersonation attacks more convincing, personalized, and scalable, along with practical steps organizations can take to strengthen onboarding and identity verification. [...]
A phishing campaign is impersonating more than 30 well-known brands, including Adobe, Netflix, Coca-Cola, and OpenAI, in fake job interviews to steal Google account credentials from marketing professionals. [...]
Threat actors are abusing Microsoft Teams voice calls by impersonating corporate IT support staff to trick employees into installing the EtherRAT malware, giving attackers initial access to corporate networks. [...]
Business email compromise attacks increasingly rely on convincing impersonation rather than malware, making them harder for employees and traditional email defenses to detect. This webinar explores how behavioral AI can help identify sophisticated email threats and automate response workflows. [...]
The FBI is warning of fake websites impersonating FIFA ahead of the 2026 World Cup, to steal personal and financial information, sell fake tickets and hospitality packages, and push other fraud related to the event. [...]
A malicious Hugging Face repository that reached the platform's trending list impersonated OpenAI's "Privacy Filter" project to deliver information-stealing malware to Windows users. [...]
Microsoft is warning of threat actors increasingly abusing external Microsoft Teams collaboration and relying on legitimate tools for access and lateral movement on enterprise networks. [...]
Scammers are sending fake "Notice of Default" traffic violation text messages impersonating state courts across the U.S., pressuring recipients to scan a QR code that leads to a phishing site demanding a $6.99 payment while stealing personal and financial information. [...]
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) warns that criminals are impersonating U.S. officials in phishing attacks targeting businesses and individuals who request city and county planning and zoning permits. [...]
Microsoft will soon add new fraud protection features to Teams calls, warning users about external callers who attempt to impersonate trusted organizations in social engineering attacks. [...]
A typosquatted domain impersonating the Microsoft Activation Scripts (MAS) tool was used to distribute malicious PowerShell scripts that infect Windows systems with the 'Cosmali Loader'. [...]
A new phishing kit called Spiderman is being used to target customers of dozens of European banks and cryptocurrency holders with pixel-perfect cloned sites impersonating brands and organizations. [...]
An ongoing phishing campaign impersonates popular brands, such as Unilever, Disney, MasterCard, LVMH, and Uber, in Calendly-themed lures to steal Google Workspace and Facebook business account credentials. [...]
Hackers impersonate IT pros with deepfakes, fake resumes, and stolen identities, turning hiring pipelines into insider threats. Huntres sLabs explains how stronger vetting and access controls help stop these threats. [...]
The FBI warns of a surge in account takeover (ATO) fraud schemes and says that cybercriminals impersonating various financial institutions have stolen over $262 million in ATO attacks since the start of the year. [...]
Google has filed a lawsuit to dismantle the "Lighthouse" phishing-as-a-service platform used by cybercriminals worldwide to steal credit card information through SMS phishing attacks impersonating the U.S. Postal Service and E-ZPass toll systems. [...]
Google has filed a lawsuit to dismantle the "Lighthouse" phishing-as-a-service platform used by cybercriminals worldwide to steal credit card information through SMS phishing attacks impersonating the U.S. Postal Service and E-ZPass toll systems. [...]
Hackers are abusing LinkedIn to target finance executives with direct-message phishing attacks that impersonate executive board invitations, aiming to steal their Microsoft credentials. [...]
Two new spyware campaigns that researchers call ProSpy and ToSpy lured Android users with fake upgrades or plugins for the Signal and ToTok messaging apps to steal sensitive data. [...]