New Phishing Attack Uses Unique Method To Avoid Security - Olmec Skip to main content

New Phishing Attack Uses Unique Method To Avoid Security

By November 16, 2020May 5th, 2022Cybersecurity

Hackers are always looking for a new angle, and recently, they’ve found a particularly good one.

Image recognition software is becoming increasingly sophisticated. So if hackers are interested in building a fake landing and login page designed to spoof some other company, they have to get it exactly right, including the background image, or most AV software will see through the ruse.

To get around that, some clever hackers have taken to building two different landing pages; one for the AV software and one for the user.

The page designed for the software uses the proper background image, but with the colors inverted. Image recognition software looks primarily for shapes and not for colors, so this easily fools most AV software. If a site visitor were to see that page, however, they would instantly see the flaw and become suspicious, so they’re directed to a different version of the page with a proper image.

Recently, a research team attached to WMC Global had this to say about the new technique:

“Our team reviewed other campaigns deployed by this threat actor, discovering that the individual was using the same inversion technique on the newer Office 365 background.”

If you’re an Office 365 user, it pays to play close attention to the URL of the page you’re navigating to, so you can improve your odds of avoiding inadvertently giving your login credentials to a group of hackers.

Naturally, Office 365 isn’t unique in this regard. You can bet that hackers around the world are employing this trick to gain login credentials all across the internet, so vigilance is absolutely called for.

Kudos to the team at WMC Global for spotting the new trend, and make sure your IT staff is aware of the possibility so they can be on high alert and work to protect your users.

Jason Manteiga

Jason J. Manteiga, Vice President of Olmec Systems, has been part of the company for over the past 20 years. He believes that having a great work environment and supportive team, is the ultimate key to success. Since being in the IT realm for over 25 years, Jason, along with Olmec Systems, has been on the Inc. 5000 “List of America’s Fastest Growing Private Companies” and Channel Futures MSP 501 “Top Managed Service Providers in North America,” along with other awards and nominations. Jason earned his Bachelor Degree in Information Systems from the New Jersey Institute of Technology. He also holds certifications in Microsoft MCSE, VMWare VCP, and Cisco CCNA. In his spare time, Jason is a contributor for The Center for Social & Legal Research (Privacy Exchange) and a member of the Morris County Chamber of Commerce. His hobbies include cycling and kayaking. He currently lives in New Jersey with his wife, two daughters and son.