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Increased Social Engineering Attacks Targeting MFA and Help Desks

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2 unique sources, 2 articles

Summary

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Threat actors, including groups like Scattered Spider, are increasingly using social engineering tactics to bypass multi-factor authentication (MFA) and gain unauthorized access to enterprise networks. These attacks often target help desk personnel, exploiting human vulnerabilities to reset passwords or override MFA. The FBI and CISA have issued alerts about the growing threat of such high-touch social engineering campaigns. The attack on Clorox by Scattered Spider resulted in approximately $380 million in damages, including $49 million in remedial costs and hundreds of millions in business-interruption losses. The attackers exploited the service desk run by Cognizant, repeatedly phoning to obtain password and MFA resets without meaningful verification. This incident highlights the need for robust caller verification and stringent security protocols in help desk operations. Organizations must rethink their help desk operations, focusing on training, validation processes, and a security-first culture. Frontline staff need to recognize red flags and escalate suspicious requests. Executives and senior leaders should model verification behavior, reinforcing that diligence is expected throughout the organization. Effective defense against these attacks requires ongoing training, relevant simulations, and a culture that prioritizes security over speed. Help desk and security teams must collaborate closely to identify and mitigate potential threats.

Timeline

  1. 10.09.2025 17:02 1 articles · 19d ago

    Scattered Spider Attack on Clorox via Cognizant Service Desk

    The attack on Clorox by Scattered Spider resulted in approximately $380 million in damages, including $49 million in remedial costs and hundreds of millions in business-interruption losses. The attackers exploited the service desk run by Cognizant, repeatedly phoning to obtain password and MFA resets without meaningful verification. This incident underscores the need for robust caller verification and stringent security protocols in help desk operations. The article also provides actionable steps for defenders to enhance security measures and mitigate similar threats.

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  2. 21.08.2025 17:00 2 articles · 1mo ago

    FBI Alerts on Social Engineering Attacks Targeting MFA and Help Desks

    The FBI has issued alerts about groups like Scattered Spider executing multistage, high-touch social engineering campaigns. These attacks target help desk personnel to bypass MFA and gain unauthorized access to enterprise networks. Organizations are advised to enhance training, validation processes, and security culture to mitigate these threats. The attack on Clorox by Scattered Spider resulted in approximately $380 million in damages, including $49 million in remedial costs and hundreds of millions in business-interruption losses. The attackers exploited the service desk run by Cognizant, repeatedly phoning to obtain password and MFA resets without meaningful verification. This incident highlights the need for robust caller verification and stringent security protocols in help desk operations.

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Information Snippets

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