--- title: "Three Sneaky Cybercrime Tactics to Watch Out For" id: "51095" type: "post" slug: "three-sneaky-cybercrime-tactics-to-watch-out-for" published_at: "2020-09-17T15:30:18+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-17T04:02:23+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2020/09/17/three-sneaky-cybercrime-tactics-to-watch-out-for/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2020/09/17/three-sneaky-cybercrime-tactics-to-watch-out-for.md" excerpt: "Cybercriminals are getting more clever about targeting organizations and individuals. Here are three new threats you need to be on the lookout for." taxonomy_category: - "Marketing / Communications" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "cybercrime" - "cybersecurity" - "phishing" - "Technology" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "C-Level" - "Director" - "Executive Team" - "Manager" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Three Sneaky Cybercrime Tactics to Watch Out For Being savvy about cybersecurity doesn’t mean just knowing the big trends. You also need to stay on top of new tricks and tactics that hackers are using to target people and organizations. Study up on these three emerging threats so you can stay ahead of attempted cyberattacks. **Conversation hijacking.** It may look like your colleague is engaging with you and your coworkers, but in reality, it’s a hacker taking advantage of someone who’s already been exploited to score an even bigger kill. [Speaking to ZDNet (opens in a new tab)](https://www.zdnet.com/article/beware-of-this-sneaky-phishing-technique-now-being-used-in-more-attacks/) , Don Maclennan, senior vice president of engineering and product at Barracuda Networks, noted that the secret to this attack is research. “Once they gain access to the account, attackers will spend time reading through conversations, researching their victims, and looking for any deals or valuable conversations they can insert themselves [into],” he said. A related tactic involves [domain impersonation (opens in a new tab)](https://healthitsecurity.com/news/evasive-domain-impersonation-phishing-attacks-increase-by-400) , in which an attacker uses a domain that looks similar to your own. **OAuth-based phishing.** If you use a Microsoft-based cloud service, you’re going to want to keep an eye on this one. [As CPO Magazine recently reported (opens in a new tab)](https://www.cpomagazine.com/cyber-security/microsoft-oauth-apps-the-target-of-cunning-new-phishing-attack/) , such attacks look like credible add-ins to Office 365, but they allow unfettered access to an entire account until the user realizes the account has been compromised. “The usefulness of a captured Office 365 user logon to an attacker is only valuable until the logon’s owner realizes they’ve been compromised, and their password is changed,” Stu Sjouwerman, founder and CEO of KnowBe4, told the magazine. **Hyper-specific Google ad targeting.** While examples of this are not yet common, there is a lot of potential for this type of attack in the future, notes Patrick Berlinquette, an expert search advertising marketer, [at Medium’s OneZero vertical (opens in a new tab)](https://onezero.medium.com/google-ads-targeted-at-literally-one-person-could-be-the-future-of-doxxing-8c5b0a9117b9) . He explains that the large amount of data Google has on its users makes it easier to target smaller and smaller groups of individuals—for advertising or, potentially, an attack that could lead to the public exposure of personal information, known as “doxxing.” “Clicks amass the world’s thoughts in an indelible ledger, held by a corporation,” he writes. “Clicks are packaged into more precise ad targeting tools that Google hands off to marketers. These tools help refine who sees an ad, and create ads that attract more clicks.” This risk is more hypothetical, but Berlinquette makes the case that it’s growing. (dem10/E+/Getty Images Plus) [Ernie Smith](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Tags: [#cybercrime](https://associationsnow.com/tag/cybercrime/) [#cybersecurity](https://associationsnow.com/tag/cybersecurity/) [#phishing](https://associationsnow.com/tag/phishing/) [#Technology](https://associationsnow.com/tag/technology/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [PodcastAssociations Now Presents: Beyond the Tech Stack: How AI Is Changing the Association PlaybookOctober 29, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/10/29/associations-now-presents-beyond-the-tech-stack-how-ai-is-changing-the-association-playbook/) - [PodcastSecuring Identity: What Associations Need to Know About Verifiable CredentialsJune 25, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/06/25/securing-identity-what-associations-need-to-know-about-verifiable-credentials/) - [PodcastAssociations NOW Presents: More Than Marketing: The Power of Strategic CommunicationsJuly 30, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/07/30/associations-now-presents-more-than-marketing-the-power-of-strategic-communications/) - [PodcastAssociations NOW Presents: Why Slower Marketing Can Drive Stronger Member Engagement (Episode 27)June 25, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/06/25/associations-now-presents-why-slower-marketing-can-drive-stronger-member-engagement-episode-27/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2020%2F09%2F17%2Fthree-sneaky-cybercrime-tactics-to-watch-out-for%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !