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[SITUATION] · [ACTIVE]

2 clusters · 10 sources · 12 days · First seen 14 days ago · Last updated 2 days ago

Categories: CRIME · TECHNOLOGY

Phishing and cyber scam escalation

Entities: Kaspersky · Incibe · José Amado · Adobe · Microsoft

Overview

In late July 2026, analysts highlighted open‑redirect vulnerabilities and phishing emails as the dominant cyber‑threat vectors, noting that phishing accounted for the majority of data‑breach entry points and caused billions of dollars in losses.

By early August, the focus shifted to concrete evidence of a worldwide surge. Reports from Latin America showed three‑quarters of firms targeted, with banks and manufacturers hit hardest. New tactics such as WhatsApp hotel‑reservation scams, Android screen‑overlay attacks, and Wi‑Fi hijacking of hotel networks (the CaptiveCrunch campaign) were documented. Travel‑related phishing spikes were recorded, and industrial systems continued to be compromised via phishing‑laden emails. The later snapshot therefore expands the initial overview into sector‑specific statistics and emerging techniques, underscoring the growing scale and sophistication of phishing‑driven cybercrime.

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

[● 2 SOURCES] The “Screen Overlay” technique displays fake screens over legitimate Android apps to capture credentials and payment data. (SISAP)
[○ 1 SOURCE] 73% of Latin American companies were targeted by phishing campaigns in 2025. (ESET Security Report)
[○ 1 SOURCE] 81.4% of manufacturing firms in Latin America reported phishing attacks. (ESET Security Report)
[○ 1 SOURCE] 100% of banking institutions in Latin America reported phishing attempts. (ESET Security Report)
[○ 1 SOURCE] Cybercriminals use WhatsApp to impersonate hotels and send fraudulent reservation‑validation links containing real booking details. (INCIBE / Guardia Civil)
[○ 1 SOURCE] Microsoft identified a hotel Wi‑Fi hijacking campaign called CaptiveCrunch, linked to the Russian‑affiliated group Storm‑2945. (Microsoft security team)
[○ 1 SOURCE] Kaspersky detected about 262,000 travel‑related phishing attempts between mid‑2025 and early‑2026, with Emirates and Uber accounting for 98% of transport‑sector attacks. (Kaspersky report)
[○ 1 SOURCE] 60% of industrial cyberattacks began with phishing emails, according to ZIUR’s industrial cyber‑intelligence report. (ZIUR)

Timeline

2 days ago

[CRIME] 10 sources
Phishing attacks and related cyber scams rise globally, targeting businesses and travelers
Phishing hits 73% of Latin American firms, while WhatsApp hotel scams, Android screen‑overlay attacks, hotel Wi‑Fi hijacking, travel phishing and industrial phishing all surge worldwide.
14 days ago

[TECHNOLOGY] 2 sources
Open redirect attacks and phishing emails remain major cyber threats
Open redirect flaws and phishing emails stay major cyber threats, letting attackers hijack trusted links and trick users, driving most data breaches.

Sources

commonculture.org.uk · diariomarca.com.mx · diariosocialrd.com · dinero.com.sv · hoy.com.do · iphoneworld.com.es · lecafedugeek.fr · naiz.eus · petrbrabenec.cz · redeszone.net