(…)Financial institutions remain primary targets due to their critical role in digital transactions and the substantial value of customer data they manage. Cybercriminals increasingly employ sophisticated phishing techniques, notably through social media platforms, SMS phishing (smishing), and voice phishing (vishing), using realistic imitations of legitimate banking websites and applications. Simultaneously, the continued circulation of over 220,000 active compromised German-issued payment cards detected by Brandefense highlights serious vulnerabilities within fraud detection systems.

(…)The widespread presence of infostealer malware, notably in sectors such as e-commerce, retail, and manufacturing, underscores the ongoing risk of credential theft and subsequent unauthorized access to corporate networks. The continued sale of tailored phishing tools, large scale financial data sets, and compromised credentials on the dark web indicates sustained criminal interest and capability to exploit German financial institutions and their customers.