Longline Phishing

The last few years have seen a dramatic increase in the use of email as a vehicle for cyberat¬tacks on organizations and large corporations. Such attacks have evolved from the simple inclusion of malware as a non-disguised executable file, to more socially engineered 'phish¬ing' style attacks, which attempt to persuade the recipient to activate malware or voluntarily provide valid security credentials -- often simply by clicking a link that leads to a malicious or fraudulent website.

However, today’s advanced phishing tactics may have overcome the cost/volume trade-off. Borrowing tactics from cloud computing and database marketing, attackers are now engaging in industrial-scale phishing attacks that leverage sophisticated customization and delivery techniques. Proofpoint has dubbed these 'Longline phishing attacks' or 'Longlining' after a common industrial-scale, commercial fishing technique.

Read this Proofpoint white paper to learn about email-borne threats, cloud computing, big data, and the rise of industrial phishing attacks.