
The rise of the internet and related technologies has transformed the world, revolutionizing nearly all aspects of everyday life, including crime. In September, the Global Cyber Security Leaders summit in Berlin highlighted the cyberattack tactics that pose the greatest concern to security professionals. Many of these threats transcend criminal activity and involve state or state-sponsored actors using tricks of the cybercriminal trade to advance their countries' agendas. Though the weapons used to conduct cyberattacks are relatively new — and rapidly evolving — the tactics have been around for centuries. Over the past year, several major crimes have combined the new platforms and greater access that the information age affords with the age-old art of social engineering. This year has demonstrated the enduring popularity — and efficacy — of phishing and spear-phishing, cyberattack techniques that rely on social engineering to gain illicit access to networks and information.