What is an account takeover?
An account takeover (ATO) is a cyberattack in which cybercriminals use stolen credentials to gain unauthorized access to corporate systems. Criminals often obtain the user’s credentials for free on the dark web or Telegram, buying them in bulk, or through phishing attacks.
Once in control of the account, the attackers can exploit the compromised account for malicious purposes, such as stealing corporate data, withdrawing funds, or even using the company’s accounts to promote scams.
How can you prevent account takeover?
Here are steps to prevent account takeover:
Early detection starts with monitoring your corporate accounts. Significant changes, such as changes in personal details or suspicious purchases, as well as cyber incidents, such as malware infections or data breaches, may indicate an account takeover attack. Monitoring accounts proactively helps you find the best way to respond to emerging threats quickly.
Education and security training are important because recognizing a potential threat is much easier when you know what you’re looking for. Whenever you can, educate your employees about ATO and set up training sessions to help them recognize social engineering techniques.
In the digital world, password security is crucial. Enforce a company-wide policy of using strong, unique passwords for company accounts, or get a business password manager that allows you to centralize password management. Ensure authentication methods, such as passkeys and MFA, are enabled on all company accounts and follow the NIST framework to establish robust cybersecurity practices.
Using an account takeover prevention solution, such as NordStellar, centralizes your account security. ATO solution helps you monitor suspicious activity, detect unauthorized access attempts, and provide real-time alerts.
How does account takeover prevention work?
NordStellar helps prevent account takeover attacks in several ways:
Proactive user scanning
NordStellar cross-references your organization's existing accounts with recaptured data from Telegram, the deep web and dark web.
Prevention of breached credentials usage
NordStellar continuously monitors user login form domains to provide insight into the usage of compromised credentials.
Password fuzzing
NordStellar detects exposed credentials and active session cookies in real-time, helping you avoid account takeovers.
Why account takeover prevention is important for every company
No matter your company size or the industry you represent, an account takeover can have significant consequences:
Potential financial loss
Failing to detect account takeover threats can result in significant financial losses due to fraud, regulatory fines, and legal liabilities.
Non-compliance with data privacy regulations can lead to hefty penalties, while fraudulent transactions and unauthorized access may cause direct monetary damage to your business.
HUMAN ERROR IS INEVITABLE
Software vulnerabilities and human error both contribute equally to data breaches, system failures, and account takeovers.
While you can limit human error with training and centralized account management, poor password habits, malware, or sophisticated social engineering tactics pose continuous security threats.
Reputational damage
An account takeover doesn’t just impact company finances — it’s a significant hit to customer trust.
Compromised accounts lead to negative press, decline in user base, and long-term damage to your brand’s reputation.
Why use NordStellar to prevent account takeover attacks?
Using NordStellar to prevent account takeover offers various benefits:
Protect sensitive data
Prevent unauthorized access to your company’s and clients’ confidential information.
Preserve account privacy
Ensure strong security measures are in place to protect customer accounts and personal data.
Maintain business continuity
Minimize disruptions caused by compromised accounts to keep operations running smoothly.
Monitor executive accounts
Monitor accounts of key executives and VIPs to reduce threat exposure of your most visible people.
Explore more security solutions from NordStellar
NordStellar lets your cybersecurity team patch critical vulnerabilities and intervene at the earliest stages of an attack – before any real damage is done.
Dark web monitoring allows you to track all keywords associated with your business across deep and dark web communities, such as hacker forums, illicit marketplaces, and Telegram channels. It helps you uncover brand mentions, issues with vendors, and leaked information about your VIP personnel.
Data breach monitoring involves scanning the deep and dark web for leaked sensitive information linked to your business. To spot breached data, NordStellar checks infostealer malware logs, leaked databases, and collections of stolen credentials combinations. This solution provides real-time monitoring and the full context of past and present attacks.
Attack surface management (ASM) helps you monitor your business's external attack surface to prevent potential cyber risks. It lets you efficiently manage your company's internet-facing assets, such as IP addresses with open ports and outdated technologies, by identifying vulnerabilities and security gaps within them.
Cybersquatting detection helps you recognize and prevent threat actors from impersonating your brand. Using content and visual similarity algorithms enriched with AI, NordStellar can detect various domain manipulations and issue real-time alerts, providing a detailed view of each suspicious domain.
FAQ
Yes, account takeover protection is critical because, historically, it’s one of the most dangerous attacks for a business. With complete control of your accounts, criminals can distribute malware, carry out phishing attacks, withdraw funds, and use the company’s accounts to cause long term damage.
Identity theft refers to a broad range of risks where a malicious actor pretends to be someone they’re not. ATO is a specific type of identity theft where cybercriminals gain unauthorized access to an existing account. So, while identity theft can involve creating entirely new fraudulent accounts, ATO exploits existing ones.
MFA (multi-factor authentication) is a great way to strengthen account security, but it’s not enough to prevent ATO. ATO can result from various hacking techniques, such as session hijacking that bypass the MFA security measures. For example, hackers can take over your MFA device or intercept the security code. To prevent ATO, it’s best to combine MFA with other security methods.
Account detail changes are the primary sign that criminals are trying to take over the account. Usually, criminals will try to change the account’s primary email, phone number, recovery email, as well as make purchases from a new location.
Most industries are prone to account takeover attacks but companies in retail, gaming, and healthcare as well as financial and online services are often targeted the most.
If your organization’s accounts are found on the dark web, reset compromised passwords and enable strong authentication measures. You should also investigate how the credentials were leaked and monitor for suspicious activity across your accounts and networks. To prevent future incidents, enforce strict password policies, educate employees about phishing threats, and use threat exposure management platform like Nordstellar for monitoring.