Welcome to The Optery Dispatch — a newsletter delivering the latest insights on threat intelligence and proactive cybersecurity strategy. In Issue #10, published February 17, 2026, we cover: Breach Activity Hits Record High as Social Engineering Remains the Leading Root Cause The ITRC’s 2025 report shows phishing, smishing, and BEC dominating across public and private sectors TheContinue reading "Record breach levels, social engineering dominating, and an active campaign targeting 100+ organizations."

  Welcome to The Optery Dispatch — a newsletter delivering the latest insights on threat intelligence and proactive cybersecurity strategy. In Issue #8, published December 16, 2025, we cover: The AI-fication of Cyberthreats: Trend Micro 2026 Predictions The cyber threat landscape is evolving into a contest of speed, adaptability, and automation, requiring a shift beyondContinue reading "AI-Driven Social Engineering, Evasive Phishing Techniques, and a Glimpse into Modern Infostealer Operation"

  Welcome to The Optery Dispatch — a newsletter delivering the latest insights on threat intelligence and proactive cybersecurity strategy. In Issue #5, published September 30, 2025, we cover: Salesforce Attacks: FBI FLASH Alert UNC6040 and UNC6395 are breaking into Salesforce environments to steal data and extort victims. The FBI, in an alert from September 12, hasContinue reading "Salesforce Breaches, Social Engineering & Agentic AI Threats"

  Welcome to The Optery Dispatch — a newsletter delivering the latest insights on threat intelligence and proactive cybersecurity strategy. In Issue #4, published August 26, 2025, we cover: New Joint CISA/FBI/CNMF Advisory Is Latest Confirmation that Attackers Use Commercial Data Brokers to Target Organizations Advisory follows a string of evidence showing attackers leveraging data brokers forContinue reading "Data Brokers Used to Target Orgs, Social Engineering is #1 Attack Vector"

Advisory follows a string of evidence showing attackers leveraging data brokers for recon and social engineering The joint CISA/FBI/CNMF updated advisory on Scattered Spider acknowledges what several analysts have previously noted: the threat group is using commercial data brokers as part of their reconnaissance toolkit and as fuel for social engineering. In its July 29,Continue reading "New Joint CISA/FBI/CNMF Advisory Is Latest Confirmation that Attackers Use Commercial Data Brokers to Target Organizations"

Palo Alto Networks’ latest Unit 42 Global Incident Response Report: Social Engineering Edition shows that social engineering remains the #1 initial access vector. Among the more than 700 cases Unit 42 investigated between May 2024 and May 2025, 36% of all incidents began with social engineering. Of those: More Stats from the Report Additional InsightsContinue reading "Unit 42 Report: Social Engineering Is the #1 Initial Access Vector "

The Identity Theft Resource Center’s 2025 H1 Data Breach Report is out. AI-powered phishing attacks continue to rise, phishing/smishing/BEC topped the list of known attack vectors, the supply chain is a critical weakness, breach notifications still lack critical details, and financial and healthcare sectors remain prime targets. Here are some highlights: “The overwhelming majority ofContinue reading "Social Engineering Is the #1 Attack Vector: Highlights from the ITRC’s H1 2025 Data Breach Report"

Optery has been named a winner in the 2025 Fortress Cybersecurity Awards, presented by the Business Intelligence Group. We were recognized in the category of Privacy Enhancing Technologies for our work in reducing the online exposure of employee and executive personal data—the most exploited vulnerability in modern cyberattacks. The Fortress Cybersecurity Awards program honors the industry’s leading companies andContinue reading "Optery Wins 2025 Fortress Cybersecurity Award for Privacy Enhancing Technologies"

Why data broker removal is a must-have for organizations Personal data exposure is the biggest cyber threat to organizations today. It enables the most successful attack vectors: social engineering and the use of compromised credentials. Despite this reality, many companies continue to overlook a major security risk—vast amounts of employee and executive personal data readilyContinue reading "Personal Data Removal: A Core Cybersecurity Measure"

Email impersonation attacks, such as Business Email Compromise (BEC), are among the most costly and damaging cyber threats to organizations. According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), BEC alone accounted for nearly $2.95 billion in reported losses in 2023, making it one of the most financially devastating forms of cybercrime. While BEC isContinue reading "Protect Against Impersonation, Email Forgery, and Business Email Compromise Attacks"