Adapting IT Security: Staying Ahead of Evolving Cybercriminal Tactics

Better to Anticipate Need to Change Rather than become Seahawks or Cowboys.

Armand here, RPost’s sporty armadillo product evangelist. I couldn’t help contemplating the many discussions I had with CIOs of major corporations at the recent Gartner IT Expo conferences and International Legal Tech conferences. These IT pros are seeing the world of risks change around them, with cybercriminals adapting tactics to power-up their lures and tools. They are seeing the need to change their IT security stack – to add layers (think RPost) that can do what their current tech does not do, to thwart emerging cybercriminal tactics.

What do I mean? Consider Black Axe, what some feel is the origin of today’s organized "mafia-style” cybercriminal gangs operating in the United States and internationally. Black Axe roots date back 47 years ago, originating in Benin City, Nigeria. They not only engage in cybercrime but also election fraud, human trafficking, illegal drug trading, intimidation, and violence. Caution: if you get tricked into mis-sending your money due to cybercriminal tactics, do not fly to Nigeria to try to retrieve it. You may never return. I digress…

My point is, this is one of many cybercriminal enterprises that now power-up their lures and train their offshoots like the Yahoo Boys collaborative (read more), to use deep fake technologies to join web meetings to confirm transaction details, impersonating a colleague, with voice and face live replication tools. They have changed their tactics, adapting over time to optimize their success (and your losses). It’s a game for them, and they modernize their approach to become more competitive.

Now consider North Korea’s cybercrime tactics. Some report that they have funded 50% of their missile programs through cybercriminal proceeds. Their latest tactics (we wrote about this one year ago – recommended reading!!), they use face and voice replication tools, GenAI and other tactics to power-up impersonations of sophisticated technical remote workers, apply for jobs in large companies, interview in deep fake video meetings, get hired, are given company credentials to access systems, work diligently, get paid for it, appear as top performers, all the while quietly implanting back doors into computer systems to be activated at a desired time to deploy ransomware or exfiltrate data for ransom.

FBI Special Agent Greenberg reported that any company across the U.S. and in some other countries that hired freelance IT workers since COVID “more than likely” hired someone participating in the North Korea IT worker staffing impersonation scheme. This is just so widespread (READ THIS BLOG, its shocking).

This North Korea tactic is an example of an innovative, modernized approach, adapted with the COVID and post-COVID remote worker, digital nomad, and work-from-home newly accepted normal. They changed and have reaped billions of dollars in cybercrime proceeds (losses for you). For them, it’s a game of survival. And, they are winning.

[By the way, RPost’s PRE-Crime technology suite can provide you with the ability to see these cybercrimes building so you can thwart them before the attack --- an adaptation that we recommend you make to modernize your technology security stack.]

By contrast, here are two examples of not anticipating the need to change and suffering the consequence.

The National Football League season so far has been all over the place for the Seattle Seahawks. They had a strong start that gave their fans a lot of hope. Yet, that hope suddenly disappeared. The Seahawks have been on a rapid decline since their 3-0 start to the season, losing 5 of their last 7 games. Right off the bat, they were looking like real contenders in a very challenging division, but have lowered fans’ expectations by losing to weaker teams in the underwhelming stretch of games. An example of this is the upsetting (for them) loss at home against the New York Giants, who are last in the NFC with a 2-8 record.

This season, they are on the same path as they were last year… not great. This is likely because there were no changes made during the offseason. I think it is time for the Seahawks to make some BIG moves in the offseason to get back to their glory days and back to the Super Bowl.

Looking at another team on the downfall in the NFC, the Dallas Cowboys have had their problems this season. One of the big ones being Dak Prescott, their franchise quarterback who is out for the year with an injury. The Cowboys have had success in recent years in the regular season, but this year isn’t the same. With a record of 3-7, the Cowboys’ season is basically over with playoffs looking like a reach. Taking a deeper look into the Cowboys losses, some aren’t even close games. Losing four absolute blowout games already by 24 or more points is absurd (no offense intended for Cowboys fans, this is just my humble armadillo opinion), especially for a team with high expectations coming into the season; with the biggest loss coming from the Detroit Lions with a score of 47-9. Absolute blowout.

Now, as much as I loved seeing the Cowboys get destroyed like that (due to my armadillo New England Patriots fandom which has become likewise painful of late), I do feel for the organization as it seems like they are in crisis mode. Over the past couple seasons, they did decent, with a 12-5 record to finish the season; but now they already have 7 losses in 10 games. This is a complete turnaround in not even a year. Maybe the Cowboys won’t be called America’s team anymore after this disastrous year 😉. They need change.

Don’t be like today’s Seahawks or Cowboys. Proactively change your technology security stack to thwart the North Koreans, Black Axe, and other cybercriminal cabals. Add RPost PRE-Crime today.

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