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By Cian Fitzpatrick | 18th February 2025
Cybercriminals are highly adaptable creatures, always evolving their tactics to stay ahead of security measures. While the latest trend in their playbook is not that new, it’s being given a refresh and it’s causing havoc for organisations.
The trend is called “post-poisoning.”
Rewriting a URL can be legitimate; for example, a business would rewrite a URL to redirect their users from an old website to a new one. However, malicious actors are weaponising this practice to create a big security risk for both individuals and firms.
Post-poisoning is also known as URL weaponising. And if the word weapon makes you think of an attack, you’d be correct.
It’s a sophisticated strategy in the hacker’s toolbox that enables the cyber-criminal to manipulate a link in your inbox, after they have passed through a security scan. At first, these URLs may appear to be safe and legitimate, with a good reputation. They are, or how else would they have passed through cybersecurity filters and threat detection systems.
But, after this link has sat in your inbox for an hour, or a day or two, cybercriminals can redirect the links in the background. They do so to redirect you and other helpless users to malicious websites or inject harmful content into their browsers when clicked.
The increasing menace of weaponised files presents a formidable cybersecurity challenge for companies.
Attackers have a range of formats to deploy at their fingertips, such as images, PDFs and Word documents. These all act as ways to deliver malware and compromise devices and networks.
Data breaches have become more lucrative in recent years.
In fact, if cyber-crime was considered a country, its economy would only be behind that of the USA and China. By 2029, cyber crime is forecast to be worth $6.4 trillion.
Therefore, the incentive for bad actors to find more creative ways to steal sensitive data is high. There has been an increased reliance on digital infrastructure over the last few years, especially with the rise of remote work, weaponised files have emerged as a preferred tool for cybercriminals aiming to breach and exploit organisational security.
Weaponised files exploit browser vulnerabilities due to unpatched security flaws, outdated browser extensions or plugins.
Recent reports reveal instances where threat actors have exploited image files, such as PNGs, to target different government organisations. Adversaries have also harnessed platforms like Google Cloud to distribute malware concealed within innocuous PDFs, effectively deceiving users.
Post-poisoning presents a formidable challenge to the conventional ways organisations keep their email security safe. Detection-based security systems still have their place, but they are not enough.
Cyber criminals have become experts at camouflaging malicious content within seemingly benign files. This makes it difficult for your staff to distinguish between harmless files and ones that are harmful.
This can lead employees to unknowingly interact with weaponised files, inadvertently jeopardising organisational security.
Since these attacks rely on circumventing initial security measures, organisations need to adopt continuous monitoring and detection strategies to stay protected. Here are some key defenses:
Post-poisoning and weaponised files are stark reminders that cyber threats don’t always look dangerous at first glance. And that they are designed to go undetected. This is why organisations frequently turn to a managed email service solution. Using the best of AI and human expertise, Topsec Cloud Solutions believes the best defense is an active one, for all of our clients. By having a team on your side stay vigilant and adapt security strategies, we can minimize your risk and prevent cybercriminals from turning your inbox and file-sharing systems into attack vectors. Contact us today to see how we can help you.
