According to ESET, the campaign appears to be part of North Korea’s broader effort to advance its drone program by stealing proprietary designs, engineering data, and manufacturing know-how from foreign defense contractors.

“Some of the targeted companies are deeply involved in the UAV sector, suggesting that this operation may be linked to North Korea’s current efforts to scale up its drone capabilities,” ESET said in its latest analysis.

Targets and Techniques

Beginning in late March 2025, ESET telemetry detected a string of cyberattacks against three European defense companies, a metal engineering firm in Southeastern Europe, a manufacturer of aircraft components in Central Europe, and a defense company also based in Central Europe.

Investigations revealed that the attackers relied on social engineering tactics typical of the Operation DreamJob campaign, including fake job offers and trojanized open-source projects hosted on GitHub.

Once access was gained, the attackers deployed a remote access trojan (RAT) known as ScoringMathTea, granting them full control of compromised machines.

ESET noted that ScoringMathTea first appeared in late 2022, when its dropper was uploaded to VirusTotal, and has since been repeatedly observed in multiple Lazarus-linked intrusions. The malware communicates with command-and-control servers hosted on compromised WordPress websites, often hidden within plugin or design template folders.

Lazarus’ Espionage Goals

The Lazarus Group, one of the most active and sophisticated state-sponsored threat actors associated with North Korea, has a history of cyberespionage and financially motivated attacks.

Under the Operation DreamJob codename, Lazarus typically targets professionals in the aerospace, defense, engineering, and technology sectors, using enticing job offers to lure victims into installing malware.

While the group’s primary goal remains cyberespionage, stealing sensitive and proprietary data, the secondary objective often includes financial gain through digital theft or cryptocurrency-related exploits.

ESET’s researchers believe the most recent campaign demonstrates a renewed focus on the UAV sector, as two of the targeted firms are directly engaged in drone component manufacturing and UAV software development.

“Technical artifacts in the attackers’ droppers reinforce the hypothesis that the UAV sector was the main espionage goal,” ESET stated.

Geopolitical Implications

The findings add to growing evidence that North Korea’s cyber operations are increasingly intertwined with its military modernization programs, particularly in the drone and missile domains.

With European defense firms playing a key role in supplying military technology and equipment to Ukraine, experts warn that such cyberattacks could have strategic and geopolitical consequences.

ESET’s report offers a high-level overview of the Lazarus Group’s latest tools and methods while calling attention to the need for stronger cyber defense collaboration across the defense and aerospace sectors.

An extract of ESET’s full “Network API 2025–2030 Report” is available for free download on the company’s website.

More about Operation DreamJob

Operation DreamJob is the codename for an ongoing series of Lazarus campaigns that use fake job recruitment schemes to compromise targets.

These attacks often begin with LinkedIn or email outreach, delivering malicious documents or project files disguised as legitimate opportunities.

The Lazarus Group, believed to operate under the direction of the North Korean government, has been linked to numerous cyberattacks worldwide, including the Sony Pictures hack (2014), the WannaCry ransomware outbreak (2017), and several cryptocurrency heists targeting global exchanges.

Responding to these recent revelations of global cyberespionage campaigns by ESET, Olufemi Ake, managing director of ESET Nigeria, has raised concerns over the growing vulnerability in the defense ecosystem, going by the current state of security in the region, particularly West Africa.

“It is an attractive region for cyberattacks,” Ake stated. “With the increasing digital connectivity, expansion of defence partnerships, and emergence as a numerous tech innovation hub, individuals are now seen as potential entry points for both direct cyber threats and indirect access to global supply chains as it relates to the security situation in certain pocket areas.”

He identified several sectors currently at heightened risk, including government agencies or institutions with large data of citizens, key sectors in partnership with the government, holding sensitive intellectual properties, such as engineering and technology firms, critical infrastructure operators such as power, telecommunications, and finance, as well as the defence, aerospace, and media industries.

To mitigate these risks, Ake emphasised the importance of integrating cybersecurity awareness training into employee onboarding processes.

He urged organisations to prioritise the education of staff, the deployment of robust device protection, and the implementation of advanced threat detection systems, alongside regular system updates.

These, he noted, are essential strategies to maintain resilience and stay ahead of the evolving threat landscape.

In a broader appeal, Ake called on West African nations to treat cybersecurity as a strategic imperative at the helm of affairs.

“As countries across the region continue their digital transformation journeys, cyber resilience must be made a top priority,” he said. “Achieving this will require regional collaboration, sustained awareness campaigns, and long-term investment in cybersecurity capacity- building to safeguard national interests, economic growth, and public trust in digital systems.”

The post ESET Research Uncovers ‘Operation DreamJob’ New Cyberespionage Campaign Linked to North Korean Lazarus Group appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

In a significant operation earlier in the week, Nigeria’s anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), conducted a large-scale raid on the Big Leaf Building in Lagos, identified as a key hub for fraudulent activities.

According to EFCC’s account, 792 individuals were arrested during the operation, including 148 Chinese and 40 Filipino nationals, all suspected of involvement in a global fraud network.

The suspects are alleged to have operated a complex scam ring that deceived victims through fraudulent romance offers and cryptocurrency investment schemes.

The Big Leaf Building served as the central location for a call center operation, primarily targeting individuals from the Americas and Europe.

The Nigerian accomplices-initiated contact with victims, while foreign nationals managed the deceptive schemes, coercing victims into transferring funds.

During the raid, the EFCC seized computers, mobile phones, and vehicles. Authorities are now collaborating with international law enforcement agencies to investigate potential connections to larger organized crime syndicates.

This operation represents a significant step in combatting the escalating threat of online fraud and transnational criminal activity.

In a media briefing held on Monday, December 16th, 2024, at the EFCC Lagos office, Wilson Uwujaren, the director of Public Affairs, revealed that Nigerian accomplices were recruited to target victims through phishing campaigns, utilizing platforms such as WhatsApp, Instagram, and Telegram.

Reacting to the EFCC’s report, Mr. Olufemi Ake, ESET’s managing director for West Africa, emphasized that fraudsters often use dating sites and social media to assume false identities, making it increasingly difficult to detect their deceptive tactics.

These criminals frequently employ psychological manipulation and advanced artificial intelligence to build trust with their victims, further complicating efforts to catch them.

Ake also noted that many of the Nigerian suspects involved in these fraudulent activities were unaware of the true identity of their employers, as they did not receive official letters of appointment or payments from corporate accounts.

This, he argued, highlights the need for employees to regularly vet their employers’ operations to avoid being ensnared in fraudulent schemes.

“As online criminals become more skilled at exploiting digital platforms, Ake advised individuals to remain cautious and informed to protect themselves from falling prey to increasingly sophisticated fraud tactics”, he said.

He recommended verifying identities through trusted channels, being skeptical of unsolicited investment opportunities, especially those involving cryptocurrencies, and ensuring that their devices are equipped with up-to-date cybersecurity applications.

“If it seems too good to be true, it probably is,” Olufemi Ake concluded.

The post ESET Reacts to EFCC’s Arrest of 792 Cryptocurrency Fraud Suspects in Lagos appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

As champions of digital progress, ESET is proud to have women in leading roles throughout its operations – both in MSP and enterprise specialist positions, as well as marketing, sales, and more.

“ESET has always maintained a future-forward vision about the role technology has in people’s lives,” notes Carey van Vlaanderen, CEO of ESET South Africa.

“Technology is how we connect, create and collaborate. We rely on technology to work and express ourselves. Today, communities and businesses are built through digital innovations and women are often at the very heart of these innovations which is why ESET champions women’s progress at every opportunity,” she says.

ESET enjoys near-perfect workplace parity with a 50/50 gender split. It also blazes a new trail for young women entering the workplace for the first time with a 90% female intern intake this year alone.

“Women’s progress in tech is about more than just numbers though. ESET is a place to grow and learn, make connections, and be engaged creatively in a fulfilling career while working as part of a cohesive team,” adds van Vlaanderen.

It’s a sentiment shared by full-time ESET Accounts Manager Alicia Mshudulu. As a mom to a one-year-old, and studying towards a degree in Business Management, Alicia says being in a collaborative and supportive work environment is vital. “ESET provides you with the tools and guidance to get to where you want to be in your career. It always provides you with room to grow.”

Noxolo Jubati’s career in tech began as an ESET intern in 2017. She has steadily progressed through various roles and is now a top-performing account manager. “ESET has a strong mentoring and training system in place which assists the team to stay up to date and informed. Our CEO is an inspiring leader who treats every employee equally. She is always available for one-on-one sessions to share advice on how to reach your goals.”

Van Vlaanderen says ESET’s valued partners also champion the core belief that technological progress is linked to women’s overall success in the industry. “Aaishah Akoojee, Managing Director of Sisonke Software Solutions and Lee Beier, EOH BU Account Manager at IOCO both exemplify what is possible through incredible determination.”

Says Akoojee, “Initially I was only involved with the financial aspects of Sisonke Software Solutions but as time passed, I developed further interest in tech. I was intrigued by how technology systems could provide relevant solutions for so many industries. When I began my career, there were very few women in the industry but as the years have passed, there is a consistent and gradual increase in both women working in the tech industry and in executive positions.”

Beier’s advice for women starting their career in tech is to have a strong sense of self. “Believe in yourself and your abilities. The core capabilities needed to succeed in tech aren’t learned in school or in the workplace: self-esteem, self-care, and resilience is key. There’s this business myth that you should have a tech background if you want to be a tech entrepreneur, but soft skills prove invaluable when breaking into the tech world.”

Earlier this year, ESET unveiled new branding with the tagline ‘Progress. Protected’. Inspired by the insight that the power of human ideas remains the leading catalyst for the world’s progression today, van Vlaanderen says having an inclusive culture is beneficial for the company and its people. “Ultimately, business is about people. When women are able to reach their full potential, it’s a net benefit for the entire organisation and its productivity, performance and employee sentiment.”

The post ESET Continues to Power and Protect Women’s Progress in Tech appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

However, with the recent approval of the National Blockchain Policy, comes a shining light at the end of the tunnel.

Similar to the Nigerian Startup Act, this approval comes with immense direct benefits for the tech ecosystem and the Nigerian economy by extension.

One of the key action points of this policy approval, is the call for Blockchain Education, as this will serve as the first responder that will eventually give birth to the multiple innovations expected to be seen in the coming years.

In response to this, Cyberchain, a brand-agnostic tech advocacy organization led by Mr. Jude Ozinegbe, a Digital Transformation Expert, has been at the forefront of empowering and educating Nigerians in the tech space, on the need to embrace Blockchain Technology and Digital Security. Cyberchain has organized a range of industry-focused events, including conferences, webinars, training sessions, and consultancy services, aimed at addressing the challenges faced by entrepreneurs in the tech industry.

Over the past five years, Cyberchain has educated over 20,000 Nigerians on Web 3, the digital economy, and digital security.

In 2022, Cyberchain created awareness for Adaverse, a venture fund aggregator that provides funding, mentorship, and tech infrastructure to scale Web 3 solutions in Africa. It has also expanded its national footprint to five cities, including Akure, Uyo, Benin, Abuja, and Lagos, with plans to continue driving adoption to four additional cities this year, including Port Harcourt and Kano.

Cyberchain’s 2023 event calendar includes a series of industry-specific events, such as the Web 3 and Digital Economy Conference in May (Port Harcourt), July (Kano), September (Abuja), and November (Lagos), as well as a Tech Carnival in December (Lagos).

These human capacity development programs have been made possible by various organizations that have supported Cyberchain over the years, including Zinochrome, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Jelurida Africa, Digital Encode, Binance, Bitmama, TradeFada, ESET, RedSwan CRE, Pillow, BEI, Sabi Group, BoundlessPay, Gamic, Dexfiat, Picnic, and many others.

With the digital economy rapidly growing, the proper education and problem-solving skills provided by Cyberchain and its partners will help Nigeria become a global exporter of tech solutions in the future.

The Nigerian tech industry is expected to make more great strides in the years to come and Cyberchain is delighted to collaborate with well-meaning individuals and stakeholders within Nigeria and the diaspora to expand the frontiers of Blockchain in Nigeria and Africa.

The post Nigeria Leads the African Blockchain Technology Ecosystem appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

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As reported by Bleeping Computer, On November 16, an actor posted an ad on a well-known hacking community forum, claiming they were selling a 2022 database of 487 million WhatsApp user mobile numbers.

​​The dataset allegedly contains WhatsApp user data from 84 countries. Threat actor claims there are over 32 million US user records included.

Another huge chunk of phone numbers belongs to the citizens of Egypt (45 million), Italy (35 million), Saudi Arabia (29 million), France (20 million), and Turkey (20 million).

The dataset for sale also allegedly has nearly 10 million Russian and over 11 million UK citizens’ phone numbers.

Cybernews reported that the threat actor said they were selling the US dataset for $7,000, the UK – $2,500, and Germany – $2,000.

Such information is mostly used by attackers for smishing and vishing attacks, so we recommend users to remain wary of any calls from unknown numbers, unsolicited calls and messages.

Although this hasn’t been confirmed by Meta yet, this is potentially a very alarming amount of leaked data across the world, Adeniran Omotade at ESET West Africa affirms.

As well as the obvious marketing possibilities, threat actors could use the information to target people and allege to know them by confirming their name if they cross reference the number via an online search, he added.

https://twitter.com/esetng/status/1597534577094189056

Cyber criminals can do a lot of damage with just phone numbers, particularly if they know those numbers exist and are current. It’s just a matter of being creative.

“If true, this news may add META’s issues who recently paid a record breaking fine for data protection violations.

“Therefore, users should remain cautious of any phone calls or messages claiming to be someone or company and remain aware of the limitless possibilities of scams.”

“For media enquiries, please contact the Tech-Team at ESET West Africa”, he said.

The post Confirmed! 487 million WhatsApp Users’ Mobile Numbers Selling in the Dark Web appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

In a world focused on communicating with the digital native Generation Z and tech-savvy Millennials, who were born into the digital era, are we leaving the elderly out of the conversation, especially when it comes to online security? 

Carey van Vlaanderen, CEO of cybersecurity firm ESET Southern Africa says that although the younger generations still form an easy and larger target audience for fraudsters, as technology advances and more services move online, more people from older generations are connecting and, as a result, becoming victims.

“Elderly users of the internet, or ‘silver surfers’, though perhaps fewer in number, are often more vulnerable than their younger counterparts, having grown up in a physical rather than digital world. They also tend to be more trusting, making them enticing targets and often have more to lose financially than younger generations,” says van Vlaanderen.

This grey digital divide, as it is known, needs to be bridged, especially in a country that has the sixth-highest number of cybercrime victims worldwide, according to recent research conducted by cybersecurity firm Surfshark. “The COVID-19 pandemic only amplified the problem as many people suddenly had to work from home on unprotected computers and mobile phones.”

Van Vlaanderen cites alack of education and proper governance as the main reasons that South Africa has become an attractive target for cybercriminals. “As a country, our government and the police force are just not equipped to assist people who have been scammed in the same way that they can assist communities on the ground.”

Some of the ways we are falling behind include:

• Lack of investment in cybersecurity. Not all businesses and individuals have sufficient funds to make provision for cybersecurity and there is a shortage of trained cybersecurity practitioners. Some choose not to spend funds and resources on cybersecurity due to inexperience or lack of knowledge of the threat landscape. This is particularly true for the elderly.
• Slow development of cybercrime legislation and law enforcement training. The Cybercrimes Act was only adopted in January 2020. This legislation empowers our police to act against cybercrimes, but the lack of training is causing issues.
• Poor public knowledge of cyberthreats. In a recent report, iDefense, an Accenture security intelligence company, found that South African internet users are inexperienced and less technically alert than many users in other countries. 

While fraud has been around in various forms for centuries, the digital age has given rise to more sophisticated versions of longstanding schemes, giving scammers opportunities to target more victims, more easily.

Statistics are likely to represent only a fraction of the actual damage to seniors as many victims are too embarrassed to come forward and admit that they have been taken in by scammers.

We all have digital seniors in our lives, so how can we protect them in our tech-first society? ESET shares five tips that can help them – and, for that matter, you – stay safe online:

Question everything

Be cautious of everyone you interact with online or via email. People you think you know well can easily be impersonated to persuade you to give out important information.

Be on the lookout for anything unusual in an unsolicited email – the address could have one digit or letter altered, or the tone of the message could be off.

Be cautious about clicking on links or opening attachments in emails, no matter how official the correspondence looks.

Be wary of freebies

It is wise to remember the age-old advice that there’s no such thing as a free lunch. If you receive an email congratulating you on winning a competition that you never entered or saying you were picked randomly to win an improbable amount of money, be on guard.

These scams will often ask for personal details or a payment upfront for your prize to be released, with an accompanying sense of urgency so that you don’t ‘miss out’.

Don’t fall for the rom-con

Online dating or romance scams are the costliest kind of fraud affecting the older generation today, with fraudsters exploiting their generally more trusting natures and oftentimes their loneliness.

When visiting online dating platforms, be aware of photos that look too good to be true.

An image search on Google can help you determine if the photo is authentic or a stolen or stock photo. Other red flags include a request for private information such as a mobile phone number so you can talk in a more personal way, a profession of love alarmingly early in the relationship, or a request for money to help them out of a situation.

Put the phone down

Tech support scams targeting seniors are on the rise, where fraudsters phone or even email the target to convince them that there is an issue with their device and to ask for permission for remote access so they can fix the problem. Never allow an unknown person to access your computer.

Speak up

We need to keep an open dialogue with the silver surfers in our lives to ensure they are aware of the threats we are all facing, and how they can avoid them. If you or someone you care about does fall victim to a scam, it is important that you report it to the South African Police Service. If you’ve sent money to someone, contact your bank’s fraud prevention department.

They can try to limit further damage by cancelling your cards and stopping additional transactions. If you used your credit card you may be able to request a chargeback.

“By being made more aware of the dangers of the online world, and how to deal with them, seniors are likely to feel more engaged and less alone, which will go a long way to helping them stay safer online,” says van Vlaanderen.

The post Protect Less Tech Savvy Elderly from Online Fraudsters appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

Commenting on the process of selecting the security influencers, James Moore, Editor, IFSEC Global said, the influencers are “Chosen based on nominations that was judged by a panel of highly respected judges, the influencers span several categories (six specifically for security), with nominees and winners coming from across the globe”.

“The awards are designed to generate positivity across the industry by recognising the talent and efforts of some of the leading individuals tirelessly working to develop the security and fire safety sectors”.

Meanwhile, Mr. Olufemi Ake ‘s nomination was on the top 10 security influencers in the Manufacturers / Vendors / Integrators / Installers category.

He is responsible for the growth within the West Africa region, spearheading ESET brand by opening access to strong, trust-based relationships with private and public sectors.

His team has championed various cybersecurity education programs at schools, large and small corporations, and public sector institutions to create awareness on the importance. He has also written numerous articles which often serve advice to IT professionals on ethics, compliance, risk and governance in corporate environments.

Mr. Ake is an experienced strategic business development and operations professional with more than 15 years of experience cutting across real estate, finance, fmcg and information technology sectors in the United Kingdom and West Africa markets.

ESET, a global Digital Security Company, originated from Europe. For more than 30 years, ESET has been developing industry-leading IT security software and services to protect businesses, critical infrastructure and consumers worldwide from increasingly sophisticated digital threats.

From endpoint and mobile security to endpoint detection and response, as well as encryption and multifactor authentication, ESET’s high performing, easy-to-use solutions unobtrusively protect and monitor 24/7, and updating defenses in real time to keep users safe and businesses running without interruption.

Reacting to the nomination, Mr. Olufemi Ake said that with over one billion users protected by ESET, it shows a great testament to the robust solutions and legacies products the company has built over the three decades ago.

“We have over a billion users that we secure globally currently. If you consider the fact that we have an agreement with Google to secure the backend of Chrome, you can deduce that with the number of Google Chrome users that amounts to over half a billion. So, we make bold to say that we have over one billion people that trust us to secure their devices. We are excited about this.

“This nomination couldn’t have come without the robust security of ESET. I want to specially thank the team at IFSEC Global for this recognition. ESET’s pledge to the customers in the West African region cutting across individuals, government, and private sector, continue on the journey with them towards complying with privacy and security regulations”, he said.

There are other nominees from Nigeria, namely; Daniel Adaramola and Samaila Atsen Bako.

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From endpoint and mobile security to endpoint detection and response, as well as encryption and multifactor authentication, ESET unobtrusively protects and monitors 24/7, updating defenses in real time to keep users safe and businesses running without interruption.

The hybrid conference, Cyber Secure Nigeria 2022, is scheduled to take place in Abuja, Nigeria from 21 – 22 June 2022 at the CBN International Training Institute, Maitama, Abuja under a theme – Cybersecurity: An imperative for tackling security challenges in Nigeria.

According to the Samila Atsen Bako, Director, Social Media and Communications, the conference aims to bring together cybersecurity industry practitioners, business owners, financial institutions, telecommunications industries, ministries, departments, agencies, academia and non-governmental organizations with a view to share cyber security best practices in combating cyber threats and cyber related issues that affect Nigeria and the world at large.

Bako said that as a critical stakeholder, CSEAN is delighted over ESET’s partnership with CSEAN as a sponsor for the conference.

“We raise cybersecurity awareness and organise free knowledge sharing events to contribute to the growth of the cybersecurity industry.

“ESET’s partnership will go a long way in helping CSEAN realise its objectives for this conference”, the Director said.

Mr. Olufemi Ake, Managing Director, ESET West Africa Anglophone, reiterated that for 35 years, ESET has been developing industry-leading IT security software and services to protect businesses, critical infrastructure and consumers worldwide from increasingly sophisticated digital threats.

He said the global cyber security giant, ESET, is prepared to work with critical stakeholders like CSEAN to achieve cyber defense goals for businesses in Nigeria.

Mr. Ake further said, “The digital transformation efforts of the government cannot be satisfactorily complete without adequate cyber defense mechanism, likewise businesses. We encourage every stakeholder in the industry to work together towards achieving the objectives of this conference”.

Also commenting, Olabanji Soledayo, Marketing and Strategic Partnership Manager, ESET West Africa Anglophone, said that the topics for discussions during the conference such as Cybersecurity Governance, Protecting the Nigeria’s Digital Economy, Cyber Intelligence as a tool for Enhancing National Security, Web3.0 and its Cybersecurity Implications, amongst others, are topics ESET is passionate about.

While imploring the potential participants to partake fully during the Conference, he said that ESET will be on ground to provide assistance to individuals and businesses eager to enhance their cybersecurity architecture.

CSEAN is a non-profit organization established in 2014 as an advocacy group to galvanize the movement and development of Information Security best practices in Nigeria through a multi-stakeholder consortium at domestic and international levels.

The post ESET Sponsors CSEAN Cyber Secure Nigeria 2022 Conference appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

• For fake recruitment campaigns, they used services like LinkedIn and WhatsApp.
• According to the US government, Lazarus is linked to the North Korean regime.

Jean-Ian Boutin, ESET Threat Research Director reviewed new campaigns perpetrated by the Lazarus group against defense contractors around the world between the end of 2021 and March 2022.

Lazarus targeted companies in Europe (France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, and Ukraine) and Latin America (Brazil) from 2021-2022, according to the ESET report. Despite the fact that the main objective of this Lazarus operation is cyber espionage, the group also tried to extract money from the prey, but without success. 

In Jean-Ian Boutin’s words: “The Lazarus threat group showed their ingenuity by implementing an interesting set of tools, including, for example, a user-mode component capable of exploiting a vulnerable Dell driver to write to kernel memory. This advanced hack was used in an attempt to bypass monitoring by security solutions”.

During 2020, ESET specialists had documented a campaign carried out by a Lazarus subgroup against European aerospace and defense contractors, ESET called Operation In(ter)ception. 

This campaign was notable in that it used social media, especially LinkedIn, to build trust between the attacker and an unsuspecting employee before sending them malicious components disguised as job descriptions or applications. 

At that time, companies from Brazil, the Czech Republic, Qatar, Turkey and Ukraine had already been attacked.

The ESET research team believed that the action was primarily aimed at targeting European companies, but tracking various Lazarus subgroups conducting similar campaigns against defense contractors, they soon realized that the campaign went much further. 

Although the types of malware used in the various campaigns were different, the initial modus operandi was always the same: a fake recruiter contacted an employee through LinkedIn and ultimately sent malicious components.

In this sense, the group continued with the same methodology as in the past. However, ESET documented the reuse of legitimate recruitment campaign elements to add legitimacy to their fake recruiters’ campaigns. Furthermore, the attackers used services such as WhatsApp or Slack in their malicious campaigns.

In 2021, the US Department of Justice charged three IT programmers with cyberattacks while working for the North Korean military. 

According to the US government, they belonged to the North Korean military hacker unit known in the information security community as the Lazarus Group.

Along with the new research from Lazarus, during the annual conference, ESET presented its report on “Cyber warfare past and present in Ukraine”. 

Also, Robert Lipovský, ESET researcher took an in-depth look at cyber warfare during Russia’s war against Ukraine, including the latest attempt to disrupt the country’s power grid using Industroyer2 and various wiper attacks.

Commenting on this subject, Mr. Olufemi Ake, the Managing Director of ESET West Africa (Anglophone), stated that: “The Lazarus group is a menacing Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) that must not be taken with levity. Its footprints in Africa are becoming more eminent and its tactics – more intelligent. It’s high time that organizations and government bodies adhered strictly to security compliance policies, and train employees on safe practices in the cyberspace.”

Alongside the ESET research team, Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, former Commander of the International Space Station and a key figure in ESET’s Progress Protected campaign, joined ESET CEO Richard Marko to discuss the intricacies of the technology, science and life.

For more than 30 years, ESET has been developing industry-leading IT security software and services to protect businesses, critical infrastructure and consumers worldwide from increasingly sophisticated digital threats.

From endpoint and mobile security to endpoint detection and response, as well as encryption and multifactor authentication, ESET’s high performing, easy-to-use solutions unobtrusively protect and monitor 24/7, updating defenses in real time to keep users safe and businesses running without interruption. 

The post Experts Reveal How ‘Lazarus’ Attacks Aerospace, Defense Contractors appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

While ransomware, hacking, API hacks, and all the other cybersecurity threats make headlines, it’s worth remembering that the costliest internet scam is still business email compromises, according to the latest FBI Internet Crime Report.

Among the complaints received by the FBI in 2021, ransomware, business e-mail compromise (BEC) schemes, and the criminal use of cryptocurrency are among the top incidents reported. Technology-based systems are under attack, and they cost organisations around the world billions in lost funds. 

The FBI’s Internet Crime Report for 2021 correlates with what we see in South Africa; business email compromises remain one of the most concerning threat vectors because the weakest link is not something that can be easily patched as it is a human being.

The old adage of people being the weakest link in security is especially true when it comes to email threats.

Here, cybercriminals can arguably generate their biggest ‘bang-for-buck’ by using social engineering tactics on their targets and persuading them to follow instructions.

Despite the great efforts that employee organisations and financial institutions go through to educate customers and staff on what to avoid, many still fall victim, unknowingly providing access to cybercriminals. Phishing is the most obvious example of these efforts.

The one specific type of cybercrime leveraging phishing messages is business email compromise and it has been the highest-grossing of any criminal activity over the past few years.

The latest FBI Internet Crime Report reveals that once again in 2021, these scams generated more losses for victims than any other type of cybercrime.

It’s time that organisations got a handle on email compromises and developed a layered defensive approach to mitigate the risk of losing large sums of money to faceless fraudsters.

The report reveals that while only 19 954 complaints of BEC were received last year – far behind the leading complaints of phishing (324,000), non-payment/non-delivery (82,000) and personal data breach (52,000) – the loss of US$2.4bn through BEC is of a far higher value than any of the more reported crimes in the list.

While this means that it might seem as much of a problem as the other types of fraud because the case number is lower, it’s the one type of fraud that costs businesses the most – an 82 percent increase over 2020 and almost a third of all cybercrime losses in 2021.

How does BEC work?

At a simple level, BEC is a type of social engineering. Members of finance teams are usually targeted by whom they believe to be a senior executive or CEO that wants an urgent money transfer to happen, or potentially a supplier that requires payment.

As implausible as it sounds, these scams occasionally still work, because the victim is usually pressured to act, without being given time to think through the consequences of their actions – classic social engineering. Sometimes fraudulent invoices with updated banking details are all that is required.”

It only needs to work occasionally to make it worth the while of a fraudster.

Because these attacks do not use malware, they’re harder for organisations to spot. AI-powered email security solutions are getting better at detecting suspicious behavioural patterns which can indicate when a sender may have been spoofed.

User awareness training and updated payment processes are therefore a critical part of layered BEC defence.

What the future holds

The bad news for network defenders is that the scammers are still innovating. The FBI warned that deepfake audio and video conferencing platforms are being used in concert to deceive organisations nowadays.

Deepfake audio has already been used to devastating effect in two standout cases. In one, a British CEO was tricked into believing his German boss requested a €220,000 money transfer. In another, a bank manager from the UAE was duped into transferring US$35 million at the request of a ‘customer.’

This kind of technology has been with us for a while. The concern is that it’s now cheap enough and realistic enough to trick even expert eyes and ears. The prospect of spoofed video conferencing sessions not only using deepfake audio but also video, is a worrying prospect for CISOs and risk managers.

What can I do to tackle BEC?

The FBI, security industry bodies and companies like ESET are doing their best to disrupt BEC gangs where they operate. But given the huge potential profits on offer, arrests will not deter cyber-criminals, which is why prevention is always the best strategy.

Organisations need to consider the following:

• Invest in advanced email security that leverages AI to discern suspicious email patterns and sender writing styles
• Update payment processes so that large EFT transfers must be signed off by two employees
• Doublecheck any payment requests again with the person allegedly making the request
• Build BEC into staff security awareness training such as in phishing simulations
• Keep updated on the latest trends in BEC and be sure to update training courses and defensive measures accordingly

Like any fraudsters, BEC actors will always go after low-hanging fruit. Organisations need to make themselves a harder target, which will hopefully lead  to opportunistic scammers turning their attention elsewhere.

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