Phishing Attacks Evolve as Detection & Response Capabilities Improve

The growing sophistication of tools and techniques for protecting people against phishing scams is forcing attackers to adapt and evolve their methods.

A Microsoft analysis of data collected from users of its products and services between January 2018 and the end of December showed phishing was the top attack vector for yet another year. The proportion of inbound emails containing phishing messages surged 250% between the beginning and end of 2018. Phishing emails were used to distribute a wide variety of malware, including zero-day payloads.

Book a demo today to see GlobalDots is action.

Optimize cloud costs, control spend, and automate for deeper insights and efficiency.

Book a demo today to see GlobalDots is action.

However, the growing use of anti-phishing controls and advances in enterprise detection, investigation, and response capabilities is forcing attackers to change their strategies as well. Microsoft said.

For one thing, phishing attacks are becoming increasingly polymorphic. Rather than using a single URL, IP address, or domain to send phishing emails, attackers last year began using varied infrastructure to launch attacks, making them harder to filter out and stop.

A digital background featuring binary code and padlock symbols

Read more: Dark Reading

Latest Articles

Vulnerability Assessments vs. Penetration Testing: Key Differences, Use Cases & Best Practices

They’re not interchangeable. A vulnerability assessment identifies known flaws at scale. A penetration test mimics an actual attacker probing for impact. Yet many teams treat them the same. They substitute one for the other, check a compliance box, and move on as if they’re covered. They’re not. And that gap shows up later in real-world […]

Ganesh The Awesome
7th July, 2025
Web Application Firewalls (WAFs): The Evolving First Line of Defense in Cloud Security

Modern applications are built for speed, not simplicity. Containers, microservices, and cloud-native deployments have blown up the security perimeter. Traditional tools can’t keep up with this complexity. That’s why Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) matter. But the WAF of 2025 isn’t just an appliance sitting in front of a static website. It’s a flexible, cloud-aware security […]

Ganesh The Awesome
7th July, 2025
What is an API Security Audit?

 In January 2024, a misconfigured API exposed 650,000 private messages. These included passwords and internal communications. No exploit chain. No zero-day. Just a public-facing endpoint with no authentication. This wasn’t an isolated incident. From T-Mobile and Twitter (now X) to Kronos Research and the US Treasury, attackers have consistently used APIs as entry points. They […]

Ganesh The Awesome
26th June, 2025
The Ultimate API Security Checklist for 2025

APIs are now the top attack vector in enterprise apps. In 2024 alone, breaches tied to APIs cost an average of $4.88 million, and that number is rising fast. Attackers exploit gaps in API authentication, input validation, and outdated endpoints to compromise systems. Legacy controls no longer suffice, and the OWASP API Top 10 outlines […]

Ganesh The Awesome
26th June, 2025

Unlock Your Cloud Potential

Schedule a call with our experts. Discover new technology and get recommendations to improve your performance.

    GlobalDots' industry expertise proactively addressed structural inefficiencies that would have otherwise hindered our success. Their laser focus is why I would recommend them as a partner to other companies

    Marco Kaiser
    Marco Kaiser

    CTO

    Legal Services

    GlobalDots has helped us to scale up our innovative capabilities, and in significantly improving our service provided to our clients

    Antonio Ostuni
    Antonio Ostuni

    CIO

    IT Services

    It's common for 3rd parties to work with a limited number of vendors - GlobalDots and its multi-vendor approach is different. Thanks to GlobalDots vendors umbrella, the hybrid-cloud migration was exceedingly smooth

    Motti Shpirer
    Motti Shpirer

    VP of Infrastructure & Technology

    Advertising Services