Increase in cybercriminals targeting high-net-worth individuals

Author

Taylor Hawes
October 01, 2025

✍🏻 From the Editor’s Desk

Last week underscored how fragile trust in technology can be. With governments reconsidering major cybersecurity laws and attackers refining their methods, security leaders are once again forced to ask: Are compliance timelines keeping up with real-world threats, or are we constantly reacting after the fact?

🔎 Deep Brief

CISA’s Cybersecurity Law on the Brink

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) core law, the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act, is set to expire without Congressional renewal. This law underpins how federal agencies and private organizations exchange cyber threat intelligence. Without it, the flow of actionable data between the government and industry could face delays or restrictions, weakening incident response capabilities.

Security experts warn that expiration could create a dangerous information gap at a time when AI-driven threats, ransomware operations, and state-sponsored campaigns are accelerating. The law has faced criticism for privacy concerns and limited transparency, but its role in establishing collaborative defenses is widely recognized. If renewal stalls, companies may need to strengthen their own peer-to-peer intelligence networks, invest in third-party threat feeds, and reconsider how they participate in government-coordinated efforts. For now, security leaders are watching closely, knowing that any gap in information sharing could open the door to adversaries.

🧠 Strategy in Action

Protecting High-Net-Worth Targets

Cybercriminals are increasingly targeting high-net-worth individuals with tailored attacks that go beyond financial theft. A recent case involving luxury asset owners highlights how attackers exploited poorly secured smart home devices, compromised personal assistants’ accounts, and used social engineering to gain access to private travel plans. The breach not only exposed sensitive personal details but also created opportunities for physical risks, such as stalking and burglary.

👉 Takeaway: This response requires a holistic approach that combines traditional IT safeguards with lifestyle-specific protections. Security teams can deploy encrypted communications platforms, hardened IoT devices, and provide personal security awareness training for staff and family members.

🕵️ Threat Actor Spotlight

Phantom Taurus

Phantom Taurus, a threat group with links to state-backed espionage, has resurfaced with new tactics. The group is known for targeting government agencies, defense contractors, and financial institutions in Asia and Latin America. Researchers at Palo Alto Networks’ Unit 42 report that Phantom Taurus uses sophisticated spear-phishing campaigns, malicious documents, and custom backdoors to establish persistent access within high-value targets.

Key traits

The group operates via TOR and other anonymizing channels. Its extortion demands range from modest sums of around $100 to more than $20,000, depending on the target’s size and value. Phantom Taurus maintains anonymity by using multiple communication channels, including Jabber and underground forums.

Defensive advice 

Organizations are advised to prioritize segmentation, enable rapid detection of unusual file encryption, and maintain robust backup practices. Continuous monitoring of dark web forums and auction sites is also recommended, as Phantom Taurus has been known to publish stolen data when extortion demands go unmet. 

🛠️ Tool Check

Best Disk Imaging Software Comparison

Disk imaging software remains essential for disaster recovery, backup integrity, and system migration. Comparitech tested multiple tools to list down the best.

  • NinjaOne Backup – Offers OS imaging, block-level disk copies, application-aware backup, and file-level backup, all managed through a cloud-based platform.

  • Acronis True Image – Combines backup and recovery with integrated anti-malware and ransomware protection, running on Windows and macOS.

  • Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud – Provides backup alongside patch management and malware defense, covering endpoints, mobile devices, and cloud platforms.

  • ManageEngine OS Deployer – A network-ready tool for creating, editing, storing, and deploying OS images across Windows Server environments.

Other tools such as Macrium Reflect, Vembu BDR Suite, MiniTool Partition Wizard, Barracuda Intronis Backup, EaseUS Todo Backup, Iperius Backup, Clonezilla, Paragon Hard Disk Manager, and Active@ Disk Image are also covered in detail.

🗣️ Community Signal

The number of cyberattacks that have hit businesses around the world has just skyrocketed. From ransomware to malware attacks to fraud online, it has dramatically increased. That infrastructure is your first line of defense, and it really provides the business with the capability to stop those attacks and to enable the digital transformation of the business; enable the technology to be used properly. The protections that we need to put in place for the infrastructure are paramount. Dan Lohrmann, Cybersecurity Pro.

📚 Don’t Miss This

 🔗 Stay Connected

Until next edition!