Coveware’s Ransomware Attacks Report for Q4 2020

🎒 Back-to-School Scams Are Smarter Than Ever

⚡ Parents rushing to grab deals on laptops are unknowingly entering fake stores.

⚡ Students eager for “free resources” are handing over personal data to cybercriminals.

⚡ Schools themselves are receiving fake vendor invoices that slip past busy staff.

This is not just about money – identity theft, compromised accounts, and system-wide breaches are all on the rise during back-to-school season.

🚨 What makes these scams so effective? They exploit urgency and trust at the very moment when families, students, and schools are most distracted. Attackers count on you being too busy to notice the red flags.

💡 Cyber awareness has to be on the checklist, right next to backpacks and books. That’s why recurring, human-focused simulations are the fastest way to spot vulnerabilities before attackers do.

🔒 At AUMINT.io, we design simulations that reveal real risks and help strengthen defenses where they matter most.

👉 Want to see how it works? Secure your spot for a quick intro here: Book a Call
.

#CyberSecurity #SocialEngineering #FraudPreventionb #CISO #CIO #ITSecurity #SchoolSafety #EdTech

🛒 Retail Cyberattacks Are Rising Faster Than You Think

⚠️ Attackers are targeting the very systems that keep retail moving – from point-of-sale to vendor integrations.

📧 Social engineering scams are exploiting frontline employees with disguised vendor requests and fake system updates.

🔓 Once inside, criminals move fast, stealing customer records and damaging trust before anyone notices.

💡 Retailers cannot rely on technology alone – human behavior is the entry point for most breaches.

🛡️ AUMINT.io’s Trident platform empowers retail teams with tailored simulations, preparing employees to detect and stop manipulations before damage occurs.

📅 Resilience starts with training your people. Book your intro session here
to safeguard your retail operations now.

#CISO #CTO #CyberSecurity #Retail #FraudPrevention #EmployeeTraining #DataSecurity

🔑 Free Password Audit Tools You’ll Be Grateful For 🔑

Weak or reused passwords remain a major entry point for attackers, yet many organizations lack visibility into credential risks. These free password audit tools help CISOs identify vulnerabilities before attackers exploit them.

Here are the top free password audit tools:

1️⃣ Have I Been Pwned – Check if employee credentials have appeared in breaches.
🔗 https://haveibeenpwned.com/

2️⃣ L0phtCrack Free Edition – Audit password strength and cracking susceptibility.
🔗 https://www.l0phtcrack.com/

3️⃣ KeePassXC Password Analysis – Open-source password manager with audit capabilities.
🔗 https://keepassxc.org/

4️⃣ John the Ripper (Community Edition) – Test password strength using hash cracking simulations.
🔗 https://www.openwall.com/john/

5️⃣ Hashcat (Free Edition) – Advanced password auditing tool for security testing.
🔗 https://hashcat.net/hashcat/

6️⃣ AUMINT Credential Risk Analyzer (Free Demo) – Combines password auditing with human risk simulations.
🔗 https://aumint.io/resources

7️⃣ CyberArk Free Password Check Tools – Identify weak, reused, or compromised passwords across your environment.
🔗 https://www.cyberark.com/resources/free-tools/

⚡ Takeaway: These free tools help CISOs detect weak credentials, reduce attack surfaces, and enforce stronger password policies, saving time and reducing breach risk.

At AUMINT.io, we go beyond technical checks by simulating phishing and social engineering attacks to see which users are most likely to compromise credentials.

🔗 Want to uncover hidden credential risks in your organization? Book a free demo

#PasswordSecurity #CISO #CyberSecurity #CredentialRisk #AUMINT

🚨 Stop Falling for Social Engineering Scams

⚠️ Attackers are exploiting human trust to bypass even the strongest security systems.

📧 Urgent messages, impersonated contacts, and unsolicited requests are their favorite tactics.

💡 Awareness alone isn’t enough – preparation and simulation are key to prevention.

🔑 AUMINT.io’s Trident platform trains employees with realistic attack scenarios, building a resilient human firewall.

⚡ Strengthen your workforce before attackers strike. Book your intro session here
to protect your organization now.

#CISO #CTO #CyberSecurity #SocialEngineering #FraudPrevention #EmployeeTraining

🎯 Free Phishing Domain Trackers Saving CISOs Daily Headaches 🎯

Phishing attacks remain one of the biggest threats to organizations, but staying ahead is possible with the right monitoring. These free phishing domain trackers help CISOs identify suspicious domains before they target employees.

Here are the top free phishing domain trackers:

1️⃣ PhishTank – Community-driven database of active phishing sites.
🔗 https://www.phishtank.com/

2️⃣ APWG eCrime Exchange (eCX) Free Feeds – Aggregates phishing domain data from global sources.
🔗 https://www.antiphishing.org/

3️⃣ OpenPhish Community Edition – Real-time feed of confirmed phishing URLs.
🔗 https://openphish.com/

4️⃣ FraudWatch International Free Tools – Alerts on phishing and domain impersonation.
🔗 https://fraudwatchinternational.com/

5️⃣ URLhaus – Tracks malware and phishing domains used in attacks.
🔗 https://urlhaus.abuse.ch/

6️⃣ Google Safe Browsing – Check URLs against Google’s database of unsafe sites.
🔗 https://safebrowsing.google.com/

7️⃣ AUMINT.io Threat Feed Samples – Curated phishing domain intelligence with human risk insights.
🔗 https://aumint.io/resources

⚡ Using these free trackers, CISOs can proactively block phishing campaigns, protect employees, and reduce incident response workload.

At AUMINT.io, we go further by simulating real-world phishing attacks to see which employees are likely to click and where controls need reinforcement.

🔗 Want to test your team’s resilience against phishing today? Book a free demo

#PhishingPrevention #CISO #CyberSecurity #ThreatIntelligence #AUMINT

🚨 Cybercriminals Are Hiring Social Engineering Experts

😱 Criminal networks are now recruiting professionals skilled in psychological manipulation to bypass security systems.

📧 These social engineers craft highly convincing phishing and pretexting campaigns, exploiting employee trust with precision.

⚡ Traditional cybersecurity defenses are insufficient – the human element is the most targeted vulnerability.

🔑 Realistic simulations, behavioral monitoring, and continuous training are essential to counter these threats.

💡 AUMINT.io’s Trident platform equips employees to detect subtle manipulations and respond effectively, building a resilient human firewall.

📅 Book your intro session here
to strengthen your human defenses now.

#CISO #CTO #CyberSecurity #SocialEngineering #FraudPrevention #EmployeeTraining

💰 Free Breach Cost Calculators to Shock Your Board 💰

Understanding the financial impact of a breach is critical for CISOs when communicating risk to executives. Luckily, there are free calculators that estimate breach costs, helping you make your case effectively.

Here are the top free breach cost calculators:

1️⃣ IBM Cost of a Data Breach Calculator – Estimate potential losses based on industry, size, and breach type.
🔗 https://www.ibm.com/security/data-breach

2️⃣ RiskLens Free Calculator – Quantifies cyber risk in financial terms for board presentations.
🔗 https://www.risklens.com/

3️⃣ Cyence Free Risk Calculator – Models the financial impact of cyber incidents on your organization.
🔗 https://www.cynece.com/

4️⃣ BitSight Breach Cost Insights – Estimates breach-related financial exposure using security rating data.
🔗 https://www.bitsight.com/

5️⃣ Ponemon Institute Cost of Breach Tool – Provides benchmarks for breach cost analysis by sector.
🔗 https://www.ponemon.org/

6️⃣ SANS Breach Cost Templates – Free Excel templates for estimating internal and external breach costs.
🔗 https://www.sans.org/white-papers/

7️⃣ AUMINT Breach Simulation Tool – Combines human risk and technical exposure to estimate potential losses.
🔗 https://aumint.io/resources

⚡ Takeaway: These tools help CISOs translate technical vulnerabilities into financial impact, making it easier to secure budget and executive buy-in.

At AUMINT.io, we add another layer – simulating employee-targeted attacks and insider scenarios to quantify human-driven breach risk, giving your board a complete picture.

🔗 Want to show your executives how human factors affect breach costs? Book a free demo

#BreachCost #CISO #CyberSecurity #RiskManagement #AUMINT

🚨 AI-Powered Emails Are Breaching Employee Trust

😱 Hackers are using AI to craft hyper-realistic emails that trick employees into deploying ScreenConnect malware.

📧 These messages mimic trusted contacts and patterns, bypassing traditional cybersecurity defenses.

⚡ Human vulnerability is now the primary attack vector – technology alone cannot stop these threats.

🔑 Realistic simulations, behavioral analytics, and awareness programs are essential to protect sensitive data.

💡 AUMINT.io’s Trident platform trains employees to detect subtle AI manipulations and respond effectively.

📅 Book your intro session here
to strengthen your human firewall today.

#CISO #CTO #CyberSecurity #SocialEngineering #FraudPrevention #EmployeeTraining

🛡 Free Threat Hunting Playbooks CISOs Love to Reuse 🛡

Proactive threat hunting is key for detecting attacks before they escalate, but building playbooks from scratch is time-consuming. Luckily, several free resources provide tested playbooks CISOs can adapt immediately.

Here are the top free threat hunting playbooks:

1️⃣ MITRE ATT&CK Playbooks – Prebuilt hunting workflows mapped to TTPs.
🔗 https://attack.mitre.org/resources/

2️⃣ SANS Institute Hunt Playbooks – Free guides for Windows, Linux, and cloud environments.
🔗 https://www.sans.org/white-papers/

3️⃣ Elastic Security Labs Playbooks – Open-source examples for SIEM-based hunting.
🔗 https://www.elastic.co/security-labs

4️⃣ Microsoft Security Response Center (MSRC) Playbooks – Step-by-step threat investigation templates.
🔗 https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/msrc

5️⃣ SOC Prime Threat Hunting Library – Free community-contributed queries and use cases.
🔗 https://socprime.com/community

6️⃣ Red Canary Threat Detection Playbooks – Guides for endpoint and network threat hunting.
🔗 https://redcanary.com/resources/

7️⃣ Aumint.io Sample Playbooks – Our curated templates for simulating social engineering and insider attack scenarios.
🔗 https://aumint.io/resources

⚡ Using these free playbooks, CISOs can standardize threat hunts, reduce response time, and increase detection confidence.

At AUMINT.io, we complement technical hunting with real-world simulations targeting human vulnerabilities, ensuring your SOC detects both technical and behavioral threats.

🔗 Ready to see how your SOC handles advanced threats and employee-targeted attacks? Book a free demo

#ThreatHunting #CISO #CyberSecurity #SOC #AUMINT

🚨 Manufacturing Firms Under Stealth Cyber Siege

😱 The Zipline campaign is targeting U.S. manufacturers using sophisticated social engineering and custom malware.

📧 Attackers craft believable communications to exploit employees, gaining access to sensitive designs, operations, and financial information.

⚡ Traditional firewalls and antivirus are insufficient – human vulnerability is the real entry point.

🔑 Employee awareness, realistic simulations, and behavioral training are essential to prevent these hybrid attacks.

💡 AUMINT.io’s Trident platform helps teams recognize and respond to deceptive tactics before real damage occurs.

📅 Book your intro session here
to strengthen your human firewall today.

#CISO #CTO #CyberSecurity #FraudPrevention #ManufacturingSecurity #AwarenessTraining