When opened, these files execute their embedded code, either displaying an HTML page with deceptive content or using JavaScript to redirect victims to sophisticated phishing sites that mimic legitimate services like Google Voice or Microsoft login portals. When examining a malicious SVG file in a text editor, security researchers discovered that many contain minimal vector graphics code, instead housing complete HTML documents or JavaScript redirection functions. Cybersecurity experts have identified a sophisticated new phishing technique that exploits the SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) file format to deliver malicious HTML content to unsuspecting victims. The technique is particularly effective because the file maintains its “.svg” extension and is flagged as an image/svg+xml content type in email headers, allowing it to evade many attachment filtering systems that primarily block executable formats and traditional HTML attachments. This emerging threat, first observed at the beginning of 2025, represents a notable evolution in phishing tactics as attackers leverage the dual nature of SVG files to bypass security measures and trick users into revealing sensitive information. This legitimate feature, normally intended to enable interactive graphical elements, has become a vulnerability exploited by malicious actors who embed phishing pages or redirection scripts directly within what appears to be a harmless image attachment. This script-laden SVG, when opened in a web browser, executes immediately and either renders a convincing phishing page contained entirely within the file or launches a connection to an external malicious domain where credentials are harvested. Cyber Security News is a Dedicated News Platform For Cyber News, Cyber Attack News, Hacking News & Vulnerability Analysis. Securelist researchers identified a significant uptick in this attack methodology during March 2025, documenting 2,825 malicious emails utilizing SVG attachments in the first quarter alone. The upward trend has continued through April, with 1,324 incidents recorded in just the first half of the month—suggesting attackers are finding this technique increasingly effective against existing security measures. With years of experience under his belt in Cyber Security, he is covering Cyber Security News, technology and other news. Tushar is a Cyber security content editor with a passion for creating captivating and informative content.
This Cyber News was published on cybersecuritynews.com. Publication date: Mon, 21 Apr 2025 15:45:15 +0000