The FIFA World Cup 2026 is one of the most anticipated sporting events in history, and cyber criminals are already capitalizing on excitement. As matches kick off across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, threat actors are flooding the internet with fake merchandise stores, fraudulent betting platforms, and phishing domains designed to steal your money and personal data. This report breaks down the latest threat landscape so fans can stay safe while enjoying the beautiful game.  As the host countries of the FIFA World Cup 2026, the United States, Canada, and Mexico all recorded an increase in the weekly average number of cyber-attacks per organization in April 2026 compared to both […]

The post Before the First Whistle: How Cyber Criminals Are Targeting World Cup 2026 appeared first on Check Point Blog.

Ransomware activity remained elevated in Q1 2026, continuing the trend established over the past year. According to the State of Ransomware Q1 2026 report from Check Point Research, overall attack volume stayed near historic highs. At the same time, the structure of the ransomware ecosystem changed materially. After two years of increasing fragmentation, activity is consolidating around a smaller number of dominant groups. For organizations, this shift reduces the number of active actors but increases the potential impact of individual incidents.  Key Findings: 2,122 organizations were listed on ransomware data leak sites in Q1 2026, making it the second-highest Q1 on record The top […]

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As we recognize World Password Day in 2026, the traditional advice to “use a complex password with numbers and symbols” feels hopelessly outdated. Today, a 16-character password is useless if an infostealer malware extracts it directly from a browser cache, or if an employee willingly pastes it into an unmanaged AI chatbot. Welcome to the real World Password Day 2026. Not the one where we remind you to add an exclamation mark to “Password123.” The one where we pull back the curtain on the global industrial marketplace that has quietly been built on the back of our collective password failures — a […]

The post World Password Day 2026: Why “Strong Passwords” Can’t Save You from AI, Infostealers, and the Telegram Underground appeared first on Check Point Blog.

Do not pay the ransom. VECT permanently destroys large files rather than locking them. Even the attackers cannot recover them. Payment will not restore your data  VECT partnered with TeamPCP and BreachForums to build one of the largest ransomware affiliate networks ever assembled, giving them a ready-made pipeline to thousands of potential victims  The encryption flaw exists across all versions. Windows, Linux, and ESXi variants are all affected. The bug has been present since before the public 2.0 release and has never been fixed  Advertised features don’t work. Encryption speed modes, anti-analysis protections, and other capabilities are either unimplemented or broken  Check Point Threat Emulation and Harmony Endpoint provide full protection against all known […]

The post VECT Ransomware: Why Paying Won’t Get Your Files Back appeared first on Check Point Blog.

In Q1 2026, Microsoft continued to be the most impersonated brand in phishing attacks, accounting for 22% of all brand impersonation attempts, according to data from Check Point Research (CPR). The results reinforce a long‑standing trend: attackers consistently exploit highly trusted brands to steal credentials and gain initial access to personal and enterprise environments. Apple climbed to second place with 11%, reflecting attackers’ increasing focus on consumer ecosystems tied to payments, identity, and personal devices. Google followed closely in third place at 9%, while Amazon ranked fourth with 7%. LinkedIn rose to fifth place with 6%, highlighting sustained attacker interest […]

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