Security | Threat Detection | Cyberattacks | DevSecOps | Compliance

Threat actors are impersonating Palo Alto Networks recruiters to target job seekers, according to researchers with Palo Alto’s Unit 42 security team. “These attacks specifically target senior-level professionals by leveraging scraped LinkedIn data to craft highly personalized lures,” the researchers write.

AI is making phishing attacks easier to create and scale. Tasks that once required manual effort can now be automated, allowing attackers to generate realistic messages, launch campaigns, and adapt tactics quickly to evade security controls. In fact, KnowBe4’s 2025 Phishing Threat Trends Report found that more than 73% of phishing emails analyzed in 2024 showed signs of AI involvement. As a result, phishing threats are becoming harder to detect using traditional methods alone.

Voice phishing (vishing) overtook email-based phishing as a top initial intrusion vector in 2025, according to a new report from Mandiant. Notably, vishing is live and interactive, giving the attacker more control over the social engineering objectives. “While email phishing often relies on volume and opportunistic delivery, interactive methods involve a live person steering the conversation in real-time,” Mandiant says.

In the world of cybersecurity, busy is an understatement. SOC teams are often drowning in a sea of repetitive alerts. Looking at the same threat or graymail spread across 50 pages of logs isn't just tedious, it’s a drain on your most valuable resource: time. That is why we are introducing Campaign Mode for KnowBe4 Defend. It’s time to stop chasing individual emails and start managing at scale.

Human risk management (HRM) focuses on one of the most persistent cybersecurity vulnerabilities: humans. Social engineering attacks that trick users into taking risky actions are a factor in 98% of cyberattacks not because they are technically complex, but because they manipulate employee behavior. Unlike traditional, one-size-fits-all security awareness training, human risk management focuses on changing employee behavior through monitoring and targeted reinforcement.

When it comes to email security, phishing and other social engineering attacks tend to grab headlines. But a simple mistake by an employee, like addressing an email to the wrong person, can be just as damaging. Misdirected emails like these remain one of the most common and costly forms of accidental data exposure.

Email security often focuses on incoming threats such as phishing, malware, and malicious links, but outbound email security is just as important. According to KnowBe4’s 2025 State of Human Risk Report, nearly half of cybersecurity leaders say misdirected emails sent by employees have caused security incidents. These mistakes typically happen when employees send messages to the wrong recipient, attach the wrong file, or unintentionally share sensitive information.

Organizations have traditionally treated phishing emails as a technology problem to be solved with spam filters and secure email gateways. But with phishing attacks on the rise, these tactics are no longer enough. KnowBe4’s 2025 Phishing By Industry Benchmarking Report found a 47% increase in phishing attacks that bypass Microsoft’s native defenses and secure email gateways. Why do they succeed? Because they exploit reliable human behavior.

Public sector organizations are operating in a threat environment that is both relentless and increasingly personal. Federal agencies, state and local governments and educational institutions are prime targets for ransomware, phishing, business email compromise (BEC) and credential theft. Local governments alone account for an estimated 43% of ransomware victims in 2025. But the real shift isn’t just in volume. It’s in tactics. Attackers have stopped trying to break in.

If the public sector had unlimited cybersecurity budgets and fully staffed SOCs, today’s threat landscape would look very different. But that’s not reality. Public sector organizations face chronic staffing shortages, constrained budgets and compensation structures that make it difficult to recruit and retain cybersecurity talent. Meanwhile, adversaries are accelerating their attacks. The result? Small teams carrying massive responsibility.