Cybercriminals increasingly target retailers via digital, social channels

In this joint report called The Retail and eCommerce Threat Landscape Report (October 2018), IntSights scoured the Clear and Dark Web to assess retail data and goods being sold illegally, new cyber scam tactics and how cybercriminals impersonate brands online to trick unknowing consumers. Riskified analyzed the transaction-level results of hundreds of millions of purchases for indicators of fraud to identify trends and new tactics used by fraudsters.

The report analyzed data from Q3 2017 to Q3 2018 and found the following key trends:

• 297% rise in the number of false retailer websites designed to phish for customer credentials

• 278% rise in stolen goods listed on black markets for resale

• Average of 22.1 internal login pages or development servers exposed per retail company in 2018. When accessed this gives cybercriminals a portal into the retailers internal network

• Fake apps and social media profiles are on the rise with a 469% pike in suspicious applications and a 345 percent increase in fake social media profiles (respectively) in Q4 2017.

In addition to data, the report provides an in-depth look at why fraudsters are attacking merchants and how merchants can better protect themselves.