From Fake CAPTCHAs To RATs: Inside 2025's Cyber Deception Threat Trends
HelpNet Security, Friday, August 8th, 2025
Cybercriminals are getting better at lying. That's the takeaway from a new LevelBlue report, which outlines how attackers are using social engineering and legitimate tools to quietly move through environments before they're caught.
In that short window, the number of customers affected by security incidents nearly tripled. The rate jumped from 6 percent in late 2024 to 17 percent in early 2025. More than half of those incidents began at the initial access stage. Once attackers were in, they moved quickly. The average time between compromise and lateral movement fell below 60 minutes. In some cases, it took less than 15.