Identity abuse through trusted communication channels


Identity has become a primary security boundary for most organizations, reducing the ability to solely trust other boundaries once associated with corporate networks. Users authenticate to cloud services using enterprise identities that provide access to collaboration platforms, business applications and sensitive data. With the adoption of software-as-a-service (SaaS) on the rise, people are shifting to platforms for communication and collaboration.

Threat actors have adapted to this shift. In addition to typical email-based phishing, attackers increasingly misuse trusted collaboration platforms to conduct identity phishing, impersonation, credential theft, malware delivery and social engineering. Over the last 12 months, our endpoint alerts of malicious activity associated with collaboration tools have more than quadrupled, as Figure 1 shows. This activity could involve compromised accounts, external federated organizations, guest accounts or trusted third-party relationships. In each case, the attackers seek to exploit the trust that people place in enterprise communication platforms.

Read more…
Source:  Palo Alto Unit 42


Sign up for the Cyber Security Review Newsletter
The latest cyber security news and insights delivered right to your inbox


Related:

  • New Android malware lets criminals use your bank card in real time

    August 13, 2026

    Researchers at Group-IB have discovered a new NFC relay malware family, purpose-built to capture live card data via NFC and forward it in real time to attackers. They dubbed it “WindRelay.” NFC (Near Field Communication) is wireless technology that allows devices such as smartphones, payment cards, and payment terminals to communicate when they’re very close together. So, ...

  • Armored Likho expands its cyber-espionage toolkit

    August 13, 2026

    In May 2026, Kaspersky researches discovered a new cyber-espionage campaign by the Armored Likho group, also known as Eagle Werewolf, that targets private individuals and organizations across various industries in Russia, including major corporations, the public sector, IT, and education. The attackers used a fake app as bait that mimics a service for donations. However, ...

  • Uber Freight reportedly investigating after hacking group claims data breach

    August 12, 2026

    A hacking and extortion gang has taken credit for a cyberattack and data breach at Uber Freight, the ridesharing giant’s logistics subsidiary. A spokesperson for Uber Freight told Reuters, which first reported the incident, that there was no effect on its business operations and that its systems were running normally. (The company did not immediately respond to ...

  • Fake CCleaner installs GhostDesk Chrome spyware

    August 11, 2026

    A fake version of the popular PC cleaning tool CCleaner is being used to infect Windows users with a malicious Chrome extension called GhostDesk, which acts as spyware inside the browser. With more than 2 billion downloads worldwide, CCleaner is one of the best-known Windows utilities, making it an attractive target for cybercriminals looking to distribute ...

  • UK MoD says no data leaked to China via drone vulnerability

    August 10, 2026

    Britain’s Ministry of Defence said on Monday that there is no evidence that military data was compromised after a cyber vulnerability was discovered in Royal Navy drones. The issue was identified during routine cybersecurity testing, the ministry said, adding that it continues to conduct security checks across its equipment and systems. Read more… Source:  EUROACTIV Sign up for the ...

  • StopRansomware: Gunra Ransomware

    August 10, 2026

    Gunra is a ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) used by affiliates to target government, critical infrastructure, and other organizations. The Gunra ransomware variant first appeared in 2025 and expanded to RaaS operations in 2026. The actors leverage a double-extortion model, both encrypting data and threatening to publish exfiltrated data to a dedicated leak site (DLS) if the ransom ...