The hackers, through BEC attacks, steal large food shipments and then sell the food on the dark web. The hackers gain access to a staff member's email account, use it to place fake orders or simply pretend to be a third‑party email provider submitting an order. Whatever the circumstances, the result is always the same: food companies ship food but never get paid for it.
See also: Okta – source code: Stolen from GitHub repositories
Hackers are alleged to traffic illicit food on the dark web.
Subsequently, hackers sell the stolen food at costs of hundreds that could be hundreds of thousands of dollars on the dark web. Given that hackers are not concerned with food safety regulations. The food, because it is not inspected, could infect people with various diseases. The FBI says,
«Companies in all sectors, both buyers and suppliers, must consider the possibility of taking measures to protect their brand and reputation from fraudsters who use their name, image and likeness to commit fraud and steal products.»
BEC is one of the most damaging financial crimes online. According to the FBI’s Cybercrime Complaint Center, victims reported losses of nearly $2.4 billion in 2021, based on 19,954 recorded complaints related to BEC attacks targeting individuals and businesses.
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Cybersecurity tips
To optimize your organization, follow the steps below:
- Protect your organization by enabling anti- phishing and anti- spoofing, which will block any malicious email.
- Enable multi-factor authentication for all email accounts.
- Create alerts for any abnormal activity, such as foreign login.
- Verify all payment changes, credit requests, and transactions in person or via a known phone number, not through a number or link provided in a suspicious email.
- Educate employees about BEC scams, including preventative strategies such as how to recognize phishing emails and how to respond to suspected breaches.
See also: Zerobot malware now spreads by exploiting Apache vulnerabilities
BEC attacks are one of the most serious cyber threats facing businesses today. These attacks use sophisticated techniques to gain access to sensitive information or funds within an organization's networks.
Source: cloud7.news
