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Account Takeovers: A Growing Threat to Your Business and Customers

by Kriti Tripathi on May 1, 2025

Account Takeovers (ATOs) are becoming one of the most dangerous and costly threats to businesses and their customers. These attacks are not only financially devastating, but they also have the potential to severely damage an organization’s reputation and customer trust. ATOs are often overlooked, yet they account for billions of dollars in losses annually. This blog will explore what account takeovers are, how they work, and why they’ve become such a significant issue.

What Are Account Takeovers?

An Account Takeover occurs when a cybercriminal gains unauthorized access to a legitimate user’s account, usually by stealing login credentials. Once they’ve accessed the account, they can perform a wide variety of malicious actions, such as making fraudulent purchases, stealing sensitive personal information, or even changing the account’s recovery settings to lock out the legitimate user. The methods to achieve this are becoming increasingly sophisticated, making account takeovers a challenge to detect and prevent.

The Rising Financial Impact of Account Takeovers

The financial impact of ATOs has been steadily growing. In the United States alone, account takeover fraud has resulted in losses of over $5 billion annually. These attacks can affect not only the immediate victims—those whose accounts are compromised—but also the businesses that lose revenue, face legal consequences, and experience significant reputational harm. ATOs typically go undetected until it’s too late, making them particularly dangerous for both individuals and organizations.

How Do Account Takeovers Happen?

Cybercriminals employ several methods to carry out ATOs, including:

Credential Stuffing: This is one of the most common tactics used by attackers. They take stolen usernames and passwords from previous data breaches and try them on other platforms, using automated tools to gain access to customer accounts.
Phishing and Social Engineering: Attackers impersonate legitimate entities (such as banks, service providers, or trusted brands) to trick individuals into revealing sensitive login credentials via email, text messages, or fake websites.
SIM Swapping: In a SIM swapping attack, cybercriminals convince a telecom provider to switch a victim’s phone number to a new SIM card, enabling them to intercept two-factor authentication codes and gain access to the victim’s accounts.
Malware and Keyloggers: Cybercriminals also use malware or keyloggers to infect customer devices, which allows them to record keystrokes, capture login information, and steal account credentials.

Why Prevention is Key

The effects of an ATO go far beyond financial loss. Customers’ trust is often irrevocably damaged, and regaining that trust can be a long and expensive process. Additionally, organizations can face costly legal fees, insurance claims, and even penalties for failing to protect customer data properly.

Prevention is critical in defending against ATOs. Organizations must be proactive in their cybersecurity strategies to ensure they don’t become another victim of these sophisticated attacks.

Prevention Strategies to Mitigate ATO Risks

To protect against account takeovers, businesses should consider implementing several key strategies:

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Enforcing MFA can make it much harder for attackers to gain unauthorized access to accounts, even if they have stolen login credentials.
Behavioral Analytics: By analyzing users’ behavior patterns, organizations can spot anomalies, such as unauthorized logins or unusual transactions, that might indicate an ATO in progress.
Continuous Monitoring and Incident Response: Organizations should implement 24/7 monitoring and automated threat detection systems to identify suspicious activity and respond to threats in real-time.

Seceon’s Role in Defending Against ATOs

As businesses face increasingly complex threats, including account takeovers, Seceon’s comprehensive cybersecurity solutions offer a proactive approach to threat detection and response. By leveraging a combination of advanced monitoring tools and real-time behavioral analysis, Seceon helps businesses identify potential account takeover attempts before they can escalate. With continuous surveillance and automated threat response, Seceon ensures that organizations can secure their critical systems and customer accounts from these growing threats.

Seceon’s platform also supports compliance efforts, helping organizations align with data protection regulations and enhance their security posture without sacrificing efficiency or speed.