Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Cybersecurity
    • Cybersecurity

    Snapchat Reveals Leak After Fake CEO Email Fools Worker

    By
    Robert Lemos
    -
    March 1, 2016
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin
      Snapchat

      Online fraudsters managed to fool an employee of photo-chat service Snapchat, convincing the unnamed worker to send information on several current and former employees to the attackers, the company said in a statement on Feb. 29.

      On Feb. 26, an employee received a single phishing email to Snapchat’s payroll department, requesting financial information on an undisclosed number of employees. The worker responded to the email, and “payroll information about some current and former employees was disclosed externally,” the company stated.

      “It’s with real remorse—and embarrassment—that one of our employees fell for a phishing scam and revealed some payroll information about our employees,” the company stated in its blog post. “The good news is that our servers were not breached, and our users’ data was totally unaffected by this. The bad news is that a number of our employees have now had their identity compromised.”

      The incident is the latest success for a scam of growing popularity. Known alternately as a business email compromise (BEC) or CEO fraud, the social-engineering attack sends a request for a money transfer or sensitive information to an employee from an email address that appears to come from the CEO or chief financial officer (CFO). Often the attackers actually have control of the executive’s email account.

      Because tax season is nearing, fraudulent requests for payroll information will likely increase, and companies should be on watch, Stu Sjouwerman, CEO of security awareness training company KnowBe4, told eWEEK.

      “It started out with these scams attempting to initiate transfers of money, but now we are dealing with tax season, and suddenly there are waves of W–2 scams that suddenly popped up,” he said.

      While the Snapchat employee released sensitive payroll information, the incident could have been worse. Other victims have executed money transfers after receiving such an email, paying out millions of dollars.

      Snapchat contacted the FBI, identified the affected employees and offered them a two-year subscription to an identity-theft monitoring and insurance service, the company said.

      While many security firms focus on defending against sophisticated attacks using software vulnerabilities, phishing is often the way that attackers gain their first foothold inside a targeted company’s network.

      “Snapchat’s employee data leak is yet another example of how easy it is to fall victim to a phishing attack,” Grayson Milbourne, security intelligence director of Webroot, said in an email sent to eWEEK. “Even with the range of sophisticated hacking tactics, old-school techniques like phishing are still very prevalent, leaving online users more vulnerable to cyber-threats.”

      The best defense against phishing is still a matter of debate. Security awareness training companies, such as KnowBe4, argue that teaching workers to recognize phishing and report fraudulent email requests is the best way to improve defenses against social-engineering attacks. Other security firms argue that attackers can easily keep sending email messages until they get someone to fall for the scam, making education less than effective. Instead, technology that detects the leak of sensitive data or potentially malicious email attacks can minimize the risk.

      Prudent companies tend to focus on both lines of defense. Snapchat has pledged to train its workforce more aggressively.

      “When something like this happens, all you can do is own up to your mistake, take care of the people affected, and learn from what went wrong,” the company said in its statement. “To make good on that last point, we will redouble our already rigorous training programs around privacy and security in the coming weeks.”

      Robert Lemos
      Robert Lemos is an award-winning freelance journalist who has covered information security, cybercrime and technology's impact on society for almost two decades. A former research engineer, he's written for Ars Technica, CNET, eWEEK, MIT Technology Review, Threatpost and ZDNet. He won the prestigious Sigma Delta Chi award from the Society of Professional Journalists in 2003 for his coverage of the Blaster worm and its impact, and the SANS Institute's Top Cybersecurity Journalists in 2010 and 2014.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Android

      Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro: Durability for Tough...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 5, 2020 0
      Have you ever dropped your phone, winced and felt the pain as it hit the sidewalk? Either the screen splintered like a windshield being...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×