Vladimir Kropotov
24 articles
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BlogWhen Trust in AI Becomes an Attack Surface: Analyzing Prompt Injection, Model Theft, and Pipeline Poisoning
Our analysis shows how AI attacks are moving beyond malicious prompts into the tools, models, and pipelines organizations already trust, and the controls organizations can put in place to reduce their exposure.
September 24th, 2026Vladimir Kropotov, Myla Pilao
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ResearchRethinking the External Attack Surface: Managing the Growing Risk of Open Cyber-Physical Data
China-aligned operational relay box (ORB) infrastructure is harvesting open sensor data at scale, and most defenders can't see it. Our report dives into how these ORBs can use open telemetry for data collection and other purposes.
September 10th, 2026 6 minFyodor Yarochkin, Vladimir Kropotov, Robert McArdle
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ResearchUnconventional Attack Surfaces: Identity Replication via Employee Digital Twins
In this second installment of a series exploring emerging AI-driven attack surfaces, TrendAI™ Research focuses on employee digital twins: AI replicas of employees that create new vectors for identity compromise, data exfiltration, and persistent access.
March 26th, 2026 34 minKirill Gelfand, Vladimir Kropotov, Fyodor Yarochkin, Robert McArdle
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ResearchAI Skills as an Emerging Attack Surface in Critical Sectors: Enhanced Capabilities, New Risks
AI skills bridge the gap between AI capabilities and real-world operations, but in doing so, they also introduce new risks and avenues for attack. We explore the challenges of AI skill adoption and provide a practical framework for secure deployment.
February 10th, 2026 13 minVladimir Kropotov, Fyodor Yarochkin, Kirill Gelfand
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ResearchHow Unmanaged AI Adoption Puts Your Enterprise at Risk
We challenge assumptions about AI models by revealing real-world biases and limitations, and the impact of poorly managed AI adoptions.
January 21st, 2026 4 minJosiah Hagen, Vladimir Kropotov, Robert McArdle, Fyodor Yarochkin
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ResearchComplexity and Visibility Gaps in Power Automate
Amid the rise of low-code automation, Microsoft Power Automate is becoming an attractive target for cybercriminals exploiting its complexity to evade detection and exfiltrate data – but demand for compromised enterprise assets is outstripping supply in the cybercriminal underground.
September 7th, 2025Stephen Hilt, Vladimir Kropotov, Fyodor Yarochkin, Benjamin Zigh
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ResearchDo Security Blogs Enable Vibe-Coded Cybercrime?
Security companies routinely publish detailed analyses of security incidents, making attacker tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) widely known and visible. These reports often provide comprehensive insights into specific vulnerabilities that are or could be exploited, malware delivery mechanisms, and evasion techniques.
September 4th, 2025 5 minRyan Flores, Numaan Huq, Vladimir Kropotov, Robert McArdle…
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ResearchThe Rise of Residential Proxies as a Cybercrime Enabler
This research discusses how residential proxies help cybercriminals bypass antifraud and IT security systems, and how vulnerabilities in the IoT supply chain are exploited where Android-based devices are shipped pre-infected.
May 27th, 2025Feike Hacquebord, Philippe Lin, Fyodor Yarochkin, Vladimir Kropotov
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ResearchThe Ever-Evolving Threat of the Russian-Speaking Cybercriminal Underground
We dive into one of the most sophisticated and impactful ecosystems within the global cybercrime landscape. Our research looks at tools and techniques, specialized forums, popular services, plus a deeply ingrained culture of secrecy and collaboration.
April 8th, 2025 11 minFyodor Yarochkin, Vladimir Kropotov, Robert McArdle
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ResearchUNWIRED: Understanding the Unforeseen Risks in Evolving Communication Channels
This article outlines the strategic risks linked to the growth of natively connected internet of things (IoT) devices that operate outside traditional cybersecurity controls.
September 2nd, 2024Vladimir Kropotov, Robert McArdle, Fyodor Yarochkin
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ResearchCyber Considerations for Organizations During Times of Conflict
This article provides a comprehensive overview of the necessary adjustments and strategies CISOs need to implement to safeguard their organizations’ assets, maintain business continuity, and uphold public trust amid conflict situations.
August 14th, 2024 20 minFeike Hacquebord, Stephen Hilt, Vladimir Kropotov, Fyodor Yarochkin
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ResearchPreempting Threats to Connected Cars: The Importance of Cybersecurity in a Data-Driven Automotive Ecosystem
We examine the automotive data ecosystem and take a closer look at privacy and security concerns arising from how data is generated, consumed, and transmitted by connected vehicles.
November 15th, 2023 6 minNumaan Huq, Vladimir Kropotov, Philippe Lin, Rainer Vosseler
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ResearchUnderstanding Ransomware Using Data Science
Our research paper shows how decision-makers that are in a position to affect ransomware at scale – including policy-makers and industry leaders – can use data-science approaches to understand ransomware risk holistically and build cybersecurity strategies that can affect the ransomware ecosystem as a whole.
February 23rd, 2023 6 minVladimir Kropotov, Bakuei Matsukawa, Robert McArdle, Fyodor Yarochkin…
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ResearchSecurity for the Next-Generation Retail Supply Chain
What would shopping and retail be like in the future? We considered today's technologies to predict what’s in store for retail in 2030 and what that means for security.
December 2nd, 2021 19 minMayra Rosario Fuentes, Craig Gibson, Numaan Huq, Vladimir Kropotov
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ResearchIn Transit, Interconnected, at Risk: Cybersecurity Risks of Connected Cars
The use of connected cars continues to grow. While the vehicles’ link to technologies such as 5G and the cloud present opportunities for improving efficiency and safety, it can also attract risks from threat actors as well.
February 16th, 2021 4 minNumaan Huq, Craig Gibson, Vladimir Kropotov, Rainer Vosseler
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ResearchCybercriminal ‘Cloud of Logs’: The Emerging Underground Business of Selling Access to Stolen Data
We take a closer look at an emerging underground market that is driven by malicious actors who sell access to a gargantuan amount of stolen data, frequently advertised in the underground as “cloud of logs."
November 16th, 2020 22 minVladimir Kropotov, Fyodor Yarochkin
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ResearchCybercriminals Gamble With Victims' Livelihoods To Pass the Covid-19 Blues
Our underground monitoring revealed several ways how criminals have been entertaining themselves during isolation, with normal activities that offer cyber-crime-related prizes.
October 12th, 2020 7 minErin Johnson, Vladimir Kropotov, Fyodor Yarochkin
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ResearchInside the Bulletproof Hosting Business: Cybercriminal Methods and OpSec
Bulletproof hosting (BPH) services have long been crucial parts of the cybercriminal infrastructure. How do they protect malicious activities, and how do cybercriminals use them to stay in business?
October 6th, 2020 5 minVladimir Kropotov, Robert McArdle, Fyodor Yarochkin
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ResearchCommodified Cybercrime Infrastructure: Exploring the Underground Services Market for Cybercriminals
The provision of services, as well as the way criminals operate in the underground, have gone through many changes over the years to cater to the market’s different infrastructure demands.
September 1st, 2020 8 minVladimir Kropotov, Fyodor Yarochkin, Robert McArdle
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ResearchHacker Infrastructure and Underground Hosting 101:Where Are Cybercriminal Platforms Offered?
Underground platforms are part of a mature ecosystem for trading cybercrime goods and services. How does a capable hosting infrastructure allow illicit activities to thrive?
July 21st, 2020 5 minVladimir Kropotov, Robert McArdle, Fyodor Yarochkin
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ResearchUncovering IoT Threats in the Cybercrime Underground
Understanding current and future threats to the internet of things (IoT) can help shape how we secure this technology that is increasingly becoming integral to today's world. What insights can be reaped from the cybercrime underground?
September 10th, 2019 3 minStephen Hilt, Vladimir Kropotov, Fernando Mercês, Mayra Rosario…
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ResearchHunting Threats on Twitter: How Social Media can be Used to Gather Actionable Threat Intelligence
Social media is a content-rich platform many enterprises use, but how can InfoSec professionals and security teams use it to gather threat intelligence that they can use to protect their organizations?
July 30th, 2019 17 minVladimir Kropotov, Fyodor Yarochkin, Ryan Flores, Jon Oliver
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ResearchCrimeware for Sale: The Commoditization of ATM Malware in the Cybercriminal Underground
Criminal sellers are peddling ready-to-use ATM malware in underground markets for hacking into banks. In this report, we discuss how criminals advertise and even provide instructions on how to pull off a digital heist.
June 28th, 2019 6 minNumaan Huq, Vladimir Kropotov, Mayra Rosario, David Sancho…
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ResearchFake News and Cyber Propaganda: The Use and Abuse of Social Media
This research paper explores the tools and methods used to spread fake news and manipulate public opinion: the services that enable them, their appearance on social media sites, and the motivations behind these activities.
June 13th, 2017 4 minLion Gu, Vladimir Kropotov, Jonathan Leopando, John Estialbo
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