A fresh surge of phishing campaigns is targeting corporate users by exploiting fake meeting invitations from widely used video conferencing platforms. Security researchers warn that attackers are abusing trust in everyday collaboration tools to gain full remote access to employee systems.
Instead of obvious malware, these attacks rely on social engineering. Victims are lured into downloading what appears to be a routine “software update,” which is actually a digitally signed remote monitoring and management tool. Once installed, it gives attackers complete control over the compromised device.
The campaigns are built around platforms that are now essential in hybrid and remote work setups. Attackers impersonate internal communication channels by sending convincing email invites that closely resemble legitimate meeting notifications. These messages prompt recipients to join a meeting or verify an invite using deceptive links hosted on typo-squatted domains such as zoom-meet.us or teams-updates.net.
Clicking these links redirects users to highly realistic phishing pages that mimic genuine meeting or login screens. To add credibility, the pages often show simulated participant lists and active meeting interfaces, creating urgency to “join immediately.” Researchers observed that these interactive elements push users to act fast without checking the page’s authenticity.
As users attempt to join the fake meeting, a warning appears claiming the conferencing app is outdated or incompatible. A pop-up then instructs them to download a “critical update” before joining. This file, disguised as a legitimate patch, is the main attack vector.
In several cases, phishing pages include on-screen instructions, progress bars, and step-by-step guidance to make the installation process look authentic. Once executed, the file installs legitimate remote access tools such as Datto RMM, LogMeIn, or ScreenConnect. These tools are often trusted in enterprise environments, allowing them to bypass antivirus checks and endpoint security controls.
By using legitimate and digitally signed software, attackers reduce the risk of detection while maintaining persistent administrative access. This enables them to steal corporate data, move laterally across networks, and in severe cases, deploy ransomware.
Security teams warn that these campaigns underline how attackers continue to exploit trust in collaboration tools. Organizations are advised to closely monitor the use of remote access software, restrict admin privileges, and train employees to question unexpected update prompts. IT teams should also ensure that conferencing updates are delivered only from official vendor domains through secure internal channels.
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