E-Business
How Cybercriminals Target Corporate email
Phishing attacks are among the most widespread and effective tactics used by cybercriminals against business.
These schemes aim to deceive employees into disclosing sensitive information, such as login credentials or financial data, by posing as legitimate sources.
While phishing attacks come in various forms, they often target corporate email systems due to the wealth of valuable information they hold. To assist businesses in bolstering their defenses against potential breaches, Kaspersky is unveiling the anatomy of a phishing attack.
According to Mimecast’s ‘The State of Email Security 2023’ report, 83% of CISOs surveyed see email as the primary source of cyberattacks. The recent case of Pepco Group demonstrated the severe consequences that phishing attacks can inflict on a business.
At the end of February, the retail company reported that its Hungarian subsidiary had fallen victim to a sophisticated phishing attack. As a result of this strike, Pepco Group lost approximately €15.5 million in cash. This incident highlights the expanding threat posed by cybercriminals, emphasising the critical need for organisations to strengthen their cybersecurity defenses.
In 2023 Kaspersky’s anti-phishing system thwarted over 709 million attempts to access phishing and scam websites, marking a 40% increase compared to the previous year’s figures.
In response to this pressing issue, Kaspersky experts cover the way phishing attacks are conducted.
- Cybercriminals’ motivation
Phishing attacks stem from cybercriminals motivated by various factors. Primarily, they seek financial gain by unlawfully acquiring sensitive information like credit card details or login credentials, which can be sold or used for fraudulent transactions. Additionally, some are motivated by political or ideological agendas, or by the purpose of espionage. Despite the differing motivations, these attacks pose severe risks to businesses.
- The initial approach
Phishing attacks typically begin with cybercriminals crafting fraudulent emails designed to lure recipients into taking action. These emails often mimic legitimate communications from trusted sources, such as colleagues, business partners or reputable organisations. To enhance credibility, attackers may employ tactics like spoofing sender addresses or replicating corporate branding.
The situation is further exacerbated by the emergence of AI-powered phishing attacks, leveraging sophisticated algorithms to create highly convincing and personalised phishing emails. This exacerbates the challenge of detecting and combating such threats.
- Deceptive content and techniques
Central to the success of phishing attacks is the exploitation of human vulnerabilities. Cybercriminals leverage psychological manipulation techniques, compelling victims to act impulsively without thoroughly evaluating the email’s legitimacy.
Phishing emails employ various strategies to deceive recipients and elicit desired responses. Common techniques include:
False pretenses: Emails may claim urgency or importance, urging recipients to act quickly to avoid purported consequences or to seize perceived opportunities.
Social engineering: Attackers personalise emails and tailor messages that resonate with recipients’ interests, roles, or concerns, increasing the likelihood of drawing in the victim.
Malicious links and attachments: Phishing emails often contain links to fraudulent websites or malicious attachments designed to harvest credentials, install malware, or initiate unauthorised transactions.
- Evading detection
To evade detection by email security filters and anti-phishing solutions, cybercriminals consistently refine their tactics and adapt to evolving cybersecurity measures. They may employ obfuscation techniques, encryption methods, or URL redirection to bypass detection and enhance the effectiveness of their attacks.
- Consequences of successful phishing attacks
When phishing attacks succeed, the consequences can be severe for organisations. Breaches of corporate email systems can lead to unauthorised access to sensitive data, financial losses, reputational damage, and regulatory non-compliance. Moreover, compromised email accounts can serve as footholds for further cyberattacks, such as Business Email Compromise (BEC) or data exfiltration.
Mitigation strategy
Safeguarding against phishing attacks targeting corporate email systems, means organisations must implement robust cybersecurity measures while educating employees about phishing awareness and best practices.
Effective mitigation strategies include employee training, the introduction of multi-factor authentication, the formulation of incident response plans, and the deployment of advanced email filtering and security solutions.
“In today’s dynamic threat landscape, businesses face an ever-growing array of cyber risks, with email-based attacks posing a particularly insidious threat. At Kaspersky, we recognise the critical importance of equipping organisations with robust cybersecurity solutions to help businesses defend themselves against these evolving threats.
“Our Kaspersky Security for Mail Server combines advanced content filtering capabilities with cutting-edge machine learning technology to provide unparalleled protection for corporate mail systems even against evolving AI-powered phishing attacks.
“By leveraging our solutions, businesses can proactively defend themselves against phishing attacks and other malicious threats, ensuring the security and integrity of their sensitive data,” comments Timofey Titkov, Head of Cloud & Network Security Product Line at Kaspersky.
President Bola Tinubu has directed the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to ensure that every Nigerian is enrolled in the national identity database before the end of 2026, according to Abisoye Coker-Odusote, director general and chief executive officer of the agency.
Abisoye Coker-Odusote, director general and chief executive officer, NIMC
Coker-Odusote, who appeared on Channels Television, said the directive forms part of the federal government’s efforts to establish a comprehensive national identity system capable of supporting effective governance, planning, and service delivery.
“The President has given us till the end of this year to make sure that we capture every single Nigerian,” she said.
According to her, NIMC is working with partners under the World Bank-supported Identification for Development (ID4D) project to accelerate nationwide enrolment.
“What we have done is we have partnered through the World Bank ID4D project with front-end partners. They are part of the digital identity ecosystem. These are private citizens that we’ve enabled and given jobs to enrol citizens on our behalf,” she explained.
She stressed that the National Identification Number (NIN) remains a unique identifier, ensuring that every individual is registered only once.
“That’s why it’s called a unique identifier, so that you’re only enrolled once,” the NIMC DG added.
Coker-Odusote said Nigeria’s actual population remains uncertain, with estimates ranging from 200 million to 250 million, making a comprehensive identity database essential for national planning.
“It is estimated that we’re 200 million. When we’re done enrolling, we will then know the actual numbers that we have. Some estimates say 230 million, while a few people say 250 million.
“Your identity is basically the foundation for effective governance and service delivery. How can you plan if you don’t know the total number of persons that you have? We have been mandated by Mr President to go down to the community levels to enrol every single Nigerian”, she said.
Responding to concerns about whether an individual could obtain multiple identities by registering in different locations or under different names, the NIMC boss said the commission’s biometric verification system prevents such occurrences.
She explained that while the previous system could accept duplicate enrolments before detecting them later, the current process automatically identifies and invalidates multiple registrations.
“The legacy system had no way of verifying at the front end whether you had already been captured. Once the record comes into the system, it flags it as a duplicate or that the person already exists in the database.
“You would only have one identity generated for you. The other record goes into a deduplication bucket where it is invalidated,” she said.
The NIMC DG added that biometric verification, including fingerprints and facial recognition, makes it virtually impossible for one person to maintain multiple identities.
“Absolutely. One of the things that this Act has done is to cement our role in capturing biometrics. Private and public sector organisations will no longer capture biometrics independently. They will validate identities through API integration with NIMC.
“The telcos are already doing that with us. If you need a SIM card, they capture your facial biometrics, which are matched against our database in real time to confirm that you are who you claim to be. We’re using biometric validation to tighten security around identity confirmation,” she said.
The remarks come weeks after Tinubu signed the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) Act 2026 into law on June 26, repealing the 2007 legislation.
The new law reinforces the “One Person, One Identity” policy by making the NIN the country’s foundational identity credential for accessing government and essential private services, including banking, passport applications, tax administration, pensions, land transactions, and consumer credit.
It also introduces stiffer penalties for identity theft, multiple registrations and unauthorised access to personal identity data, while strengthening data privacy protections and granting NIMC wider powers to investigate identity-related offences.
Cybersecurity and privacy experts are raising concerns around the growing trend of sports fans using generative AI to create World Cup-related images, mock-ups, predictions and social media content.
Whilst offering new ways for supporters to engage with major sporting events, these tools also introduce risks that many users may underestimate. In light of this, Kaspersky has shared the key risks fans should keep in mind when using generative AI tools, so they can continue enjoying the championship with peace of mind.
When fan AI goes rogue. A growing number of AI tools are being used to create World Cup-themed visuals, avatars, memes and other fan content. While these services may seem creative and harmless, not all of them come from trusted providers.
Many are launched quickly to capitalise on interest around major events, increasing the likelihood that users will interact with platforms that offer limited transparency around data handling, lack adequate privacy and security measures, or might even be designed with malicious intent.
Personal data at stake. To create customised World Cup content, users are often asked to upload selfies, sign up with an email address, connect social media accounts or share other personal information. In doing so, they may reveal more information than necessary without fully understanding how that data will be stored, used, or potentially exposed.
“AI-driven fan content may seem harmless, but one of the key privacy risks is that users are often encouraged to share far more personal information than necessary. A simple request to generate a themed avatar can involve the collection of photos, contact details, account data and behavioural insights – information that may later be insufficiently protected.
“Because major global events often create an ideal environment for opportunistic actors, fans should take a closer look at how these tools manage personal data before engaging with them,” says Anna Larkina, web content analysis and privacy expert at Kaspersky.
When fan content becomes a scam. AI-generated World Cup content in some cases can also be used to support fraud. Cybercriminals may use convincing mock-ups, fake giveaways, or official-looking fan pages to attract attention and build trust. Once users engage, they may be redirected to phishing sites, fake stores, fraudulent offers, or betting-related scams. Generative AI makes these campaigns easier to produce, more persuasive and far easier to scale.
The myth of AI predictions. Another area that deserves caution is AI-powered match prediction. However advanced or data-driven these tools may appear, AI cannot reliably predict inherently uncertain sporting outcomes. When used to promote betting, paid subscriptions or “insider communities”, such services can create a false sense of confidence and encourage risky decisions.
Multi-asset global broker JustMarkets has launched its Web Terminal, an advanced browser-based trading terminal now available to all clients in any country supported by the broker.
JustMarkets
The company said the new platform forms part of its ongoing effort to expand and strengthen its trading ecosystem. Before the official launch, the Web Terminal went through a preparation phase during which the team fine-tuned its technical performance and gathered user feedback.
“At JustMarkets, we never stop evolving,” a JustMarkets representative said. “With the Web Terminal, we wanted to remove every barrier between traders and the markets. Now every client can trade directly from their browser, with all the professional tools they need at their fingertips.”
The Web Terminal is fully available for MT5 accounts, allowing traders to access a professional trading environment without downloading or installing any software. The broker said the platform runs entirely in the browser, enabling clients to start trading instantly from any device.
To access the terminal, users are required to choose a trading account, press the “Trade” button, and then select “JustMarkets Terminal” from the window that appears.
The broker said the platform includes advanced charts with technical indicators and graphical tools, flexible volume settings that allow trade volume to be set in lots or in units of the asset, detailed asset descriptions, a market sentiment tool that provides real-time trading sentiment, timely updates on trading schedules and margin changes, and tools for managing multiple trading positions and pending orders.
According to the company, the launch follows the introduction of the JustMarkets mobile app for trading on the go and represents another step in its broader innovation strategy.
JustMarkets said it remains committed to growth and has additional features, tools, and improvements already in development.
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