As cited
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threat intel
Email threat landscape: Q3 2026 trends and insights
Microsoft Threat Intelligence detected approximately 7.3 billion email phishing threats from July through September 2026, with September reaching nearly 3 billion attacks up 41% from August. Despite the overall surge, QR code phishing declined 67% quarter-over-quarter while CAPTCHA-gated phishing recovered, driven by renewed use of SVG attachments. Two notable campaigns illustrate attacker tactics: an August legal-sector attack used personalized salary review documents with QR codes for device code credential capture, and a September Spanish-language campaign delivered Agent Tesla malware via disguised archive attachments impersonating purchase orders and payroll notifications.
Why it matters: Organizations and their users face persistent credential theft risks through increasingly sophisticated phishing techniques; defenders must audit security exceptions that override malware detections, monitor attachment delivery methods, and train staff to verify sender authenticity independent of display names and branding.
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