Quick Summary
Cofense Intelligence’s report from May 2023 to May 2025 reveals phishing campaigns in Spanish, Turkish, Chinese, Portuguese, and German that bypassed Secure Email Gateways. The report identifies key themes, with Finance being the most prevalent theme across all languages. This highlights the need for enhanced cybersecurity measures tailored to multilingual threats, as cybercriminals adapt their tactics to exploit regional vulnerabilities.
The Securityish Brief
Cofense Intelligence analyzed phishing campaigns from May 2023 to May 2025, focusing on the top five non-English languages: Spanish, Turkish, Chinese, Portuguese, and German. These campaigns successfully bypassed Secure Email Gateways (SEGs) and delivered malware, indicating a growing trend in multilingual phishing attacks. The report emphasizes that understanding these themes can help organizations tailor their Security Awareness Training (SAT) and improve responses from Security Operations Centers (SOCs).
In total, campaigns were identified in 30 different languages, but the report highlights only the top five by volume. Each language represents distinct regional targeting, with Spanish and Portuguese campaigns primarily focused on Latin America, while German campaigns predominantly targeted Germany.
Key Campaign Themes
The most common themes across the five languages were Finance, Legal, and Notification, with Finance being the leading theme in all cases. For instance, Spanish language campaigns featured Finance-themed subjects like “AVISO DE COBRO MES FEBRERO” and were heavily spoofed by the Republic of Colombia Labor Court.
Turkish language campaigns overwhelmingly focused on Finance, accounting for 95% of the themes, with subjects such as “Gecikmiş ödeme.” In contrast, Chinese campaigns also had a strong Finance theme, with 56% representation, primarily spoofing the State Taxation Administration.
Portuguese campaigns displayed the most variance in themes, but Finance still dominated at 69%. German campaigns showcased a wider range of spoofed brands, including Deutsche Telekom, and utilized multiple delivery mechanisms.
This report underscores the necessity for organizations to implement multilingual cybersecurity strategies, including user training and email filtering, to combat the increasing sophistication of phishing attacks.
Key Takeaways
- Implement multilingual cybersecurity training to address phishing risks in various languages.
- Enhance email filtering systems to better detect phishing attempts in non-English languages.
- Regularly update security protocols to respond to evolving phishing tactics.
- Monitor for spoofed brands and common themes in phishing emails targeting your organization.
- Encourage employees to report suspicious emails, especially those in languages they are familiar with.
Key Terms & Concepts
- Secure Email Gateways (SEGs): SEGs are security solutions designed to filter and protect email traffic from phishing and malware.
- Cofense Intelligence: Cofense Intelligence is a cybersecurity organization that analyzes phishing threats and provides insights to enhance security measures.
Read the original article here: https://securityboulevard.com/2026/01/international-threats-themes-for-regional-phishing-campaigns/
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