This threat involves sophisticated phishing campaigns identified by Netskope Threat Labs that exploit popular video conferencing platforms—Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet—to lure victims into downloading malicious payloads. The attackers send fake meeting invitations that appear legitimate, prompting users to download what looks like software updates. However, these payloads are actually legitimate remote monitoring and management (RMM) tools such as Datto RMM, LogMeIn, and ScreenConnect, which are digitally signed and trusted by many organizations. By deploying these RMM tools, attackers gain administrative-level remote access to compromised machines, enabling them to conduct data exfiltration, deploy additional malware, or move laterally within corporate networks. The use of legitimate signed software helps attackers evade traditional security controls like antivirus and endpoint detection systems. The phishing pages are carefully crafted to mimic authentic video conferencing interfaces, exploiting the urgency and trust users place in meeting invites. This social engineering tactic combined with the abuse of trusted RMM tools represents a significant escalation in attack sophistication. The campaigns do not require zero-day exploits but rely heavily on user interaction and deception. No known exploits in the wild have been reported beyond these phishing campaigns. The threat is medium severity due to the potential for administrative access and persistence but requires user action to succeed.

For European organizations, this threat poses a substantial risk due to widespread reliance on video conferencing tools and remote management software, especially in the post-pandemic remote work environment. Successful compromise can lead to unauthorized administrative access, enabling attackers to steal sensitive corporate data, intellectual property, or personal information protected under GDPR. It can also facilitate deployment of ransomware or other malware, disrupting business operations and causing financial and reputational damage. The use of legitimate signed RMM tools complicates detection and response, potentially allowing attackers to maintain long-term persistence. Organizations with less mature security awareness programs or insufficient endpoint controls are particularly vulnerable. The threat could impact sectors with high remote collaboration needs such as finance, healthcare, technology, and government agencies. Additionally, regulatory implications of data breaches under European privacy laws could amplify the consequences. The phishing nature of the attack means that user training and vigilance are critical to reducing impact.

1. Implement strict application whitelisting and control policies to restrict installation and execution of RMM tools only to authorized personnel and systems. 2. Enhance user awareness training focused on recognizing phishing attempts, especially those involving video conferencing invites and urgent download requests. 3. Deploy advanced email filtering and URL reputation services to detect and block phishing URLs mimicking conferencing platforms. 4. Monitor and audit RMM tool usage and remote sessions for unusual activity or unauthorized access patterns. 5. Enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA) for remote access tools and administrative accounts to limit attacker lateral movement. 6. Use endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions capable of identifying anomalous behavior even from signed software. 7. Maintain up-to-date threat intelligence feeds to quickly identify and block known malicious URLs associated with these campaigns. 8. Encourage users to verify meeting invites through secondary channels before downloading any software updates. 9. Segment networks to limit the scope of access granted via RMM tools and contain potential breaches. 10. Regularly review and update incident response plans to address scenarios involving compromised remote management tools.