Spear Phishing

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 Spear Phishing 

These days spear phishers are not only targeting bigger fish, they’re taking a page from the book of romance scams, luring victims with attractive fake profiles to get them to download malware onto their computers. In 2021, researchers identified a years-long social engineering and targeted malware attack sourced to the renowned Iranian-state-aligned threat actor TA456. Using a fake social media profile “Marcella Flores,” TA456 built a romantic relationship with an employee of a small aerospace defense contractor subsidiary. The attacker cashed in a few months later by sending out a large malware file via an ongoing corporate email communication chain with the aim of conducting reconnaissance. Once the malware, dubbed LEMPO, infiltrated the machine, it exfiltrated data and sent highly sensitive information back to the attacker, while obfuscating its whereabouts to evade detection.

What you need to know: A subset of phishing, spear phishing occurs when cybercriminals selectively target victims with a specific, personalized email message to trick targets or a target company’s employees into giving away financial or proprietary data, or unlocking access to the network. Spear phishers target individuals who either have access to sensitive information or are weak links to the network. Highvalue targets, such as C-level executives, company board members or administrators with elevated privileges, are especially vulnerable, since they have access to critical systems and proprietary information. 

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