Cybercrime & Digital Threats

Social engineering is a tactic that, at its core, creates a false narrative to exploit a victim’s credulity, greed, curiosity, or any other very human characteristics. Attackers continue to enhance existing social engineering and use new technologies.

In 2022, Trend Micro conducted extensive research to understand potential cyber threats to the metaverse amid significant global changes and a growing focus on AI technologies. The release of Apple's Apple Vision Pro headset a year later provided an opportunity to evaluate these predictions, highlighting both advancements and persistent challenges in areas such as data privacy, biometric security, and multi-vendor interoperability.

Hacktivist groups are driven by a political or ideological agenda. In the past, their actions were likened to symbolic, digital graffiti. Nowadays, hacktivist groups resemble urban gangs. Previously composed of low-skilled individuals, these groups have evolved into medium- to high-skill teams, often smaller in size but far more capable.

What does the present state of the Spanish-speaking cybercriminal underground look like? What are the most common scams and other illicit offerings peddled by cybercriminals? Unearth the secrets of the Spanish dark market in our research.

The English-speaking cybercriminal underground market has undergone significant transformations. We examine how it has adapted to new technology, increased law enforcement scrutiny, and linguistic diversification.

Blockchain technology continues to be widely adopted by enterprises for its numerous benefits, and it has inevitably attracted the attention of malicious actors. The secure, decentralized nature of blockchain does present a challenge to cybercriminals, yet it is not immune to attacks.

Elections are not just an opportunity for nation states to use Generative AI tools to damage a politician’s reputation. They are also an opportunity for cybercriminals to use Generative AI tools to orchestrate social engineering scams.

Enterprises have been steadily adopting private blockchains, placing this technology in different areas of their operations. When deployed as private permissioned networks, Ethereum-based blockchains and other similar decentralized ledger technologies are beneficial for enterprises. The advantages of integrating private blockchains into organizational processes can be substantial and multifaceted.

Red teaming tools, which organizations use in cyberattack simulations and security assessments, have become an important cybersecurity component for those looking to strengthen organizational defenses.