Hackers now target food supplies in BEC scam, FBI warns
Threat Actors Are Converting Business Email Compromise (BEC) Attacks To Steal More Than Just Money, Experts Warn.
A joint alert released by multiple US law enforcement agencies found that BEC attacks were now targeting food companies to steal shipments.
A joint consultation on cybersecurity released (opens in new tab) The Department of Justice (DoJ), the Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations (FDA OCI), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) claim hackers are stealing “large shipments of food and ingredients, the market price of which is often reached” hundreds of thousands of dollars”.
Delivery of food consignments
The strategy is the same as any other BEC attack – the hackers would compromise an executive’s email account and then use it to send fraudulent orders, or simply impersonate an order from a third-party email provider. Whatever the case, the result is the same — food companies ship food deliveries that are never paid for.
However, the attackers do not eat the food. They resell it on the black market, which in itself is a risk as they disregard food safety regulations and hygiene practices, the guide says. People who eat these foods are at risk for various diseases.
“Companies in all sectors – both buyers and suppliers – should take steps to protect their brand and reputation from fraudsters who use their name, image and likeness to commit fraud and steal products,” it said in the guide.
To protect against these attacks, organizations should educate their employees about the dangers of business email compromise attacks and phishing attacks.
You should also conduct regular training to raise awareness of the risks of clicking suspicious links or downloading suspicious attachments. Finally, they should regularly scan the internet to see if someone is stealing their identity (opens in new tab) or abuse their image in any way.
Above: Beeping computer (opens in new tab)
https://www.techradar.com/news/hackers-are-now-targeting-food-supplies-in-bec-scams-fbi-warns Hackers now target food supplies in BEC scam, FBI warns
