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Business Email Compromise (BEC) Impersonation: The Weapon of Choice of Cybercriminals, Finds VIPRE’s Q3 2024 Email Threat Report

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BEC attacks targeting the manufacturing sector increase to 10%; use of attachments is getting ‘sneakier’; and Redline is the malware family of the quarter.

LONDON, Oct. 28, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — VIPRE Security Group, a global leader and award-winning cybersecurity, privacy, and data protection company, has released its Q3 2024 Email Threat Trends Report, shedding light on the evolving cybersecurity landscape. This comprehensive analysis of real-world data reveals the sophisticated strategies and techniques employed by cybercriminals, with a particular persistent focus on the highly lucrative tactic of business email compromise (BEC). VIPRE processed 1.8 billion emails globally, of which 208 million were malicious.

BEC impersonation weaponisation  

In this third quarter of 2024, cybercriminals intensified their efforts to exploit organisational vulnerabilities through employee deception. BEC scams surged, accounting for 58% of phishing attempts. Notably, 89% of these BEC attacks involved impersonation of authority figures, including CEOs, senior executives, and IT staff, underscoring the sophisticated tactics employed by malicious actors.

BEC aims for the manufacturing sector

The manufacturing sector saw a significant rise in BEC attacks, potentially driven by financial fraud. These incidents increased from just 2% in Q1 to 10% in Q3 this year. This rise may be attributed to the industry’s widespread use of mobile sign-ins at various worksites. Employees accessing systems “on the go”, often under pressure to meet production deadlines, are more susceptible to phishing attempts.

Subtler tactics are a larger threat

Email threats in Q3 were dominated by scams (34%), commercial spam (30%), and phishing (20%). These email threats overshadowed ransomware and malware combined, which comprised less than 20% of all email attacks. Interestingly, despite their lower prevalence, ransomware and malware continue to receive disproportionate attention from the cybersecurity industry.

Sneakier attachments

To counter advancing email security solutions, criminals are deploying increasingly more intricate methods to bypass defenses. Attackers are employing sneakier techniques such as disguising malicious attachments as voicemail recordings or critical security updates to lure unsuspecting users into downloading them.

Additionally, Microsoft PDFs and .DOCX files remain the most common forms of malicious attachments. In Q3 2024, 2.18 million emails were detected containing harmful attachments, marking a 30% increase from the previous quarter’s 21% attachment-based attacks.

Phishing links and compromised websites

Cybercriminals continue to favour the URL redirection technique, a tactic that typically proves effective at evading security controls. This deceptive ploy utilises a “clean” URL within the body of the email, which then redirects unsuspecting users to a malicious one once inside. In Q3 2024, URL redirection accounted for 52% of such attacks, leading victims to meticulously crafted fraudulent websites designed to appear authentic, and gain trust.

Malspam pendulum swing from malicious links to attachments

When it comes to malspam, there is a pendulum swing from a preference for malicious links to attachments. During Q3, malspam efforts were centered on malicious attachments (64%), while only 36% employed a link. The attachment formats used were predominantly LNK, ZIP, and DOCX. Only a quarter ago, links were the tool of choice by a factor of nearly nine-to-one (86% links to 14%).

The ‘Malware Family of the Quarter’ goes to Redline

Redline is the top malspam family of Q3 2024, a spot it has maintained since the corresponding quarter in 2023. RedLine is designed to steal sensitive information from web browsers, such as credentials and payment data. Typically distributed via phishing emails or malicious websites, it sends stolen data to a command-and-control server controlled by the attacker. It can completely take over a compromised machine and uses multiple infiltration methods.

“The findings of this report yet again illustrate the sophistication of criminal tactics. BEC email and phishing attacks are becoming more targeted and convincing,” Usman Choudhary, CPTO, VIPRE Security Group, says. “Additionally, malware distribution through malicious spam campaigns continues to pose a serious threat to organisations. These findings stress the critical need for robust cybersecurity measures and ongoing employee education to combat these evolving threats, especially as bad actors gear up for the upcoming holiday season – Black Friday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year.”

To read the full report, click here: VIPRE’s Email Threat Trends Report: Q3 2024. 

VIPRE leverages its vast understanding of email security to equip businesses with the information they need to protect themselves. This report is based on proprietary intelligence gleaned from round-the-clock vigilance of the cybersecurity landscape.

About VIPRE Security Group

VIPRE Security Group, part of Ziff Davis, Inc., is a leading provider of internet security solutions purpose-built to protect businesses, solution providers, and home users from costly and malicious cyber threats. With over 25 years of industry expertise, VIPRE is one of the world’s largest threat intelligence clouds, delivering exceptional protection against today’s most aggressive online threats. Our award-winning software portfolio includes next-generation antivirus endpoint cloud solutions, advanced email security products, along with threat intelligence for real-time malware analysis, and security awareness training for compliance and risk management. VIPRE solutions deliver easy-to-use, comprehensive layered defense through cloud-based and server security, with mobile interfaces that enable instant threat response. VIPRE is a proud Advanced Technology Partner of Amazon Web Services operating globally across North America and Europe.

The group operates under various brands, including VIPRE®, StrongVPN®, IPVanish®, Inspired eLearning®, Livedrive®, and SugarSync®. www.VIPRE.com

 

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BinBase Launches 2026 BIN Database Featuring 6-11 Digit Waterfall Lookup for High-Precision Payment Routing

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July 22, 2026

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BinBase introduces its upgraded 2026 BIN Database, offering 3.2M+ card ranges, 29 granular data attributes, and extended 8-11 digit accuracy to eliminate false-positives and optimize routing for global fintechs.

MIAMI, July 21, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — BinBase, a provider of payment intelligence and card issuing data, has announced the official release of its updated 2026 BIN Database. Engineered for payment gateways, acquiring banks, fraud prevention platforms, and e-commerce platforms, the updated dataset solves critical routing inaccuracies caused by the industry-wide shift from legacy 6-digit BINs to extended 8-to-11-digit card ranges.

Relying solely on 6-digit BINs in 2026 means misclassifying card products and losing money on interchange fees. Our 2026 release provides the surgical precision developers need for cost-effective payment routing.

Since ISO/IEC 7812 expanded the standard Bank Identification Number (BIN) length to 8 digits, traditional 6-digit lookup tables have struggled to correctly identify modern card profiles. This leads to false positives, misidentified interchange fees, and failed transactions. BinBase addresses this challenge by introducing a multi-tiered database structure supporting up to 11-digit precision, alongside a recommended “Waterfall Lookup Algorithm.”

To ensure 100% routing and verification accuracy, the Waterfall method executes a descending search sequence: checking 11-digit BIN ranges down through 10, 9, 8, 7, and 6 digits until an exact match is resolved.

Key technical specifications of the 2026 BinBase release include:

Over 3.2 Million Card Ranges: Full global coverage including Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover, UnionPay, JCB, and regional networks.Extended Precision: Over 88% of the dataset consists of high-precision ranges (8–11 digits) to accurately isolate sub-brands, currencies, and card tiers.29 Granular Attributes: Beyond core issuer data, the database features advanced parameters including Durbin Regulation status, US Debit/ATM network routing (STAR, NYCE), Fast Funds (Visa Direct / Mastercard MoneySend indicators), commercial Level 2/Level 3 data, and digital wallet token ranges (Apple Pay / Google Pay).

“Modern payment processing requires surgical precision,” said a spokesperson for Damiko Inc. “Relying solely on 6-digit BINs in 2026 means misclassifying card products and losing money on interchange fees. Our 2026 release provides the underlying intelligence developers need to build resilient, cost-effective payment infrastructure.”

Developers and payment teams can evaluate the full 29-field database schema, review integration examples, and download a free 2026 sample dataset on the official GitHub repository.

To learn more about full commercial licensing options, instant CSV downloads, and custom API delivery, visit BinBase.

About Damiko Inc

Damiko Inc is a US-based fintech data provider specializing in card issuer analytics, payment routing data, and global BIN database solutions. Operating through its flagship product, BinBase.com, the company supplies high-precision transaction intelligence to help merchants and payment facilitators worldwide optimize approval rates and mitigate fraud.

Media Contact

Fedor Lavrikoff, BinBase, 1 +17866133333, sales@binbase.com, htttps://www.binbase.com 

View original content:https://www.prweb.com/releases/binbase-launches-2026-bin-database-featuring-6-11-digit-waterfall-lookup-for-high-precision-payment-routing-302829291.html

SOURCE BinBase

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Redington Limited and AutomationEdge Announce Strategic Partnership to Accelerate Enterprise Automation and Agentic AI Adoption

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July 22, 2026

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MUMBAI, India, July 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Redington, a leading technology aggregator and innovation catalyst, and AutomationEdge, a leading Agentic Process Automation platform for global enterprises, have announced a strategic partnership to accelerate the adoption of enterprise automation and Agentic AI. The collaboration brings together Redington’s extensive distribution ecosystem and partner network with AutomationEdge’s enterprise-grade Agentic Process Automation platform to enable faster, scalable, and outcome-driven digital transformation for organizations.

As a part of the partnership, AutomationEdge’s portfolio of AI Agents and automation solutions is now available through the Redington AI Exchange Marketplace, enabling partners and customers to easily discover, evaluate, and deploy enterprise-ready AI solutions. This availability significantly reduces the time required to adopt AI-driven automation and provides organizations with access to proven use cases that can deliver measurable business outcomes.

The partnership is focused on delivering solution-led automation offerings that simplify adoption for enterprises and channel partners. By combining Redington’s go-to-market reach with AutomationEdge’s 10x automation capabilities, the two organizations aim to help businesses move from fragmented automation initiatives to enterprise-wide orchestration—driving efficiency, agility, and operational excellence.

Through this collaboration, both companies will jointly promote pre-built automation and AI Agent solutions across key business functions, including banking operations, insurance processes, IT / HR operations, customer service, and finance functions. These solutions include ready-to-deploy workflows, AI Agents, demonstration environments, and implementation frameworks designed to accelerate deployment and reduce complexity.

The partnership will also include joint go-to-market initiatives such as partner enablement programs, co-branded workshops, solution showcases, and proof-of-concept (PoC) engagements. These initiatives are designed to equip Redington partners with the knowledge, tools, and support needed to successfully position, sell, and implement AI-powered automation solutions for enterprise and mid-market customers.

Sayantan Dev, Global Head, Software Solutions Group, Redington, said, “The next phase of AI adoption will be defined by execution. Through the Redington AI Exchange Marketplace, we are bringing together the technologies and ecosystem needed to help partners deliver real business outcomes at scale. AutomationEdge’s Agentic AI and automation capabilities strengthen our ability to enable customers to accelerate AI adoption with greater speed, governance, and confidence.”

Prasad Likhite, Chief Sales Officer of AutomationEdge, said, “We are delighted to strengthen our partnership with Redington and accelerate the adoption of next-generation enterprise automation and Agentic AI solutions across the market. The availability of AutomationEdge AI Agents through the Redington AI Exchange Marketplace marks an important milestone in democratizing AI-led transformation, enabling enterprises to rapidly scale intelligent automation initiatives with speed, agility, and measurable business impact. At the same time, it creates significant opportunities for partners to drive innovation, unlock new revenue streams, and deliver greater value to their customers.”

The collaboration also emphasizes localized support, implementation expertise, and customer success services, ensuring that organizations can seamlessly deploy, manage, and scale automation initiatives. By leveraging Redington’s strong partner ecosystem and AutomationEdge’s deep expertise in automation and Agentic AI, the partnership is well-positioned to address the evolving needs of modern enterprises.

As organizations increasingly prioritize productivity, operational efficiency, and AI-led transformation, this partnership marks a significant step toward making enterprise automation and Agentic AI more accessible, scalable, and impactful across industries.

 About Redington

Redington Limited (NSE: REDINGTON) (BSE: 532805), a leading technology solutions provider, empowers businesses in their digital transformation journeys. Guided by its brand narrative “Unlock Next”, Redington goes beyond distribution to remove barriers, accelerate digital adoption, and unlock access, growth, trust, efficiency, and impact—helping businesses, communities, and societies embrace what’s next in technology

About AutomationEdge

AutomationEdge is a leading Agentic Process Automation platform for global enterprises. Its platform enables organizations to automate complex business processes, deploy AI Agents at scale, improve operational efficiency, and accelerate digital transformation initiatives across industries.

Media Contact:
Rahul Wandile
rahul.wandile@automationedge.com

 

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Applied Intuition Launches Dana, the Agentic Platform for Physical AI

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July 22, 2026

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New platform pairs agentic AI with the tooling, data, infrastructure and domain expertise Applied Intuition has built over nearly a decade to speed the safe development of intelligent machines for the physical world.

Dana is the first agentic platform for building, testing, deploying and operating physical AI systems across industries.Built on nearly a decade of Applied Intuition’s tooling, infrastructure, workflows and engineering expertise, Dana is purpose-built for safety-critical systems operating in the physical world.Dana helps companies build physical AI applications for any industry or use case, from autonomy and software-defined vehicles to fleet operations, robotics, construction, mining and intelligent in-vehicle experiences.Dana has already reduced critical phases of vehicle development from months to days in internal and select customer deployments.

SUNNYVALE, Calif., July 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Applied Intuition, Inc., a leader in physical AI, today announced the launch of Dana, the first agentic platform for building, testing, deploying and operating physical AI systems across industries. Dana combines the power of agentic AI and rapid application development with nearly a decade of Applied Intuition’s tooling, infrastructure and engineering knowledge. The result is a unified system that accelerates the development of intelligent machines in the physical world.

“We believe physical AI will become one of the defining technologies of this century,” said Qasar Younis, co-founder and CEO of Applied Intuition. “Our ambition is to help bring intelligence to a billion machines, and Dana is the platform we built to make that possible.”

Unlike general-purpose AI tools designed primarily for digital workflows, Dana is built for the complexities of machines operating in the physical world. Dana comes with all the platform capabilities needed to build and deploy safety-critical physical AI applications, including data, visualization and tooling, as well as the evaluation, traceability and governance these systems require. The platform was designed to work across industries and with a wide range of use cases, from software-defined vehicle development and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) to mining and construction operations, truck fleet management, robotics and intelligent in-vehicle experiences. With Dana, customers can:

Deploy Applied Intuition’s reference applications — spanning autonomy, fleet operations, and more — or build their own.Use both natural language and command-line interfaces to complete complex development tasks more intuitively and accelerate iteration cycles across teams and systems.Integrate the platform with enterprise systems and collaboration tools, like Slack and Jira, helping organizations connect fragmented engineering and operational workflows while embedding agentic capabilities across the development process.

Applied Intuition has used Dana internally since last year, building and delivering solutions on the platform for long-standing customers across automotive, trucking, mining, and agriculture. Dana’s agent-driven workflows have reduced critical phases of vehicle development timelines from months to days in some cases. Applied Intuition has offered limited, early access to select customers, including heavy-equipment manufacturer Komatsu and Isuzu Motors, who is using the platform to accelerate L4 autonomy for its fleet of commercial trucks.

“We’ve been impressed by how Dana can streamline complex engineering workflows and accelerate development,” said Yasuhiro Yazawa, Director, Isuzu Motors Limited, Japan. “Dana gives our engineering teams greater confidence to develop, track and deploy safe autonomous-vehicle capabilities at a much faster pace.”

“Applied Intuition has been a valuable technology partner as we continue advancing the digital capabilities that support the next generation of mining equipment and solutions,” said Peter Salditt, CEO, Komatsu Mining. “Dana represents another step forward, bringing intelligent, agentic capabilities into our engineering workflows to help our teams innovate faster, improve efficiency and ultimately create greater value for our customers’ operations.”

Dana is designed to help companies keep up with the fundamental shift now underway across industries. As autonomous vehicles, robots and industrial systems become more capable, manufacturers need a more integrated way to build, validate and deploy them safely. Dana gives teams a faster path from idea to production, and the confidence to put increasingly intelligent machines into the real world.

The future of AI is physical. Dana was built for it.

To learn more about Dana and Applied Intuition’s physical AI platform, visit AppliedIntuition.com.

About Applied Intuition
Applied Intuition, Inc. is powering the future of physical AI. Founded in 2017 and now valued at $15 billion, the Silicon Valley company is creating the digital infrastructure needed to bring intelligence to every moving machine on the planet. Applied Intuition services the automotive, defense, trucking, construction, mining and agriculture industries in three core areas: tools and infrastructure, operating systems, and autonomy. Eighteen of the top 20 global automakers, as well as the United States military and its allies, trust the company’s solutions to deliver physical intelligence. Applied Intuition is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, with nearly two dozen offices across the globe, including in London, Munich, Tokyo, Seoul, and the Washington, D.C. metro area. Learn more at applied.co or press@applied.co.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/applied-intuition-launches-dana-the-agentic-platform-for-physical-ai-302831516.html

SOURCE Applied Intuition, Inc.

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