Instagram Blue Badge Latest Phishing Lure

Industry: Social Media | Level: Strategic | Source: Vade

The coveted Instagram blue badge is the latest lure used by threat actors to garner victims. Similar to Twitter's "Verified" blue checkmark, Instagram's blue badge signifies an authentic account often used for public figures and brands. Identified by researchers at Vade secure, the campaign's objective was to capture personal information and credentials. The phishing email contains a web link to a web form to collect data. An analysis of phishing trends by Vade, identified social media platforms as the fourth most impersonated platforms, trailing financial services, government, and internet/telecommunication organizations. The campaign is estimated to have started as early as July 22nd, 2022 and is highly targeted. Emails were sent out only twice between July 22nd to August 9th, 2022, with 1,000 being distributed.

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