Enterprise Credentials at Risk - Same Old, Same Old?

"Imagine this: Sarah from accounting gets what looks like a routine password reset email from your organization's cloud provider. She clicks the link, types in her credentials, and goes back to her spreadsheet. But unknown to her, she's just made a big mistake. Sarah just accidentally handed over her login details to cybercriminals who are laughing all the way to their dark web marketplace, where they'll sell her credentials for about $15. Not much as a one-off, but a serious money-making operation when scaled up."

"Users create credentials: With dozens of standalone business apps (each with its own login) your employees must create numerous accounts. But keeping track of multiple unique usernames/passwords is a pain, so they reuse passwords or make tiny variations. Hackers compromise credentials: Attackers snag these credentials through phishing, brute force attacks, third-party breaches, or exposed API keys. And many times, nobody even notices that it's happened."

"Hackers aggregate and monetize credentials: Criminal networks dump stolen credentials into massive databases, then sell them on underground markets. Hackers sell your company's login details to the highest bidder. Hackers distribute and weaponize credentials: Buyers spread these credentials across criminal networks. Bots test them against every business app they can find, while human operators cherry-pick the most valuable targets. Hackers actively exploit credentials: Successful logins let attackers dig in, escalate privileges, and start their real work - data theft, ransomware, or whatever pays best."

Employees create numerous separate accounts across many business apps and often reuse or slightly modify passwords to cope with login overload. Attackers obtain credentials through phishing, brute-force attacks, third-party breaches, or exposed API keys, frequently without detection. Criminal networks collect stolen credentials into massive databases and sell them on underground markets, where individual logins may fetch around $15. Buyers distribute credentials across criminal networks; automated bots test logins against many apps while human operators target high-value accounts. Successful compromises allow attackers to escalate privileges, exfiltrate data, deploy ransomware, and operate undetected for days, weeks, or longer.

Read at The Hacker News