Anyone else noticing Fortinet brand misuse online

E

Ethan Hughes

Member
Hello everyone, I came across a recent cybersecurity news report that talked about fake sites pretending to be related to Fortinet, and it caught my attention. It looks like attackers are setting up convincing copies to trick people into downloading things or entering credentials, which feels like a pretty classic move but still effective. What stood out to me is how closely these pages reportedly mirror legitimate branding and language. Based on public reporting, this seems aimed at IT admins or security teams who already trust the name, which makes the approach feel more targeted than random spam.

I am not saying anything illegal is happening beyond what has been publicly described, but it made me curious about how widespread this kind of impersonation is right now. Fortinet is a well known name in security, so it feels ironic that the brand itself is being used as bait.

Posting here mostly to compare notes and see if others have noticed similar patterns, or if this is just one of those short lived campaigns that pops up and disappears again.
 
Ethan Hughes said:
Hello everyone, I came across a recent cybersecurity news report that talked about fake sites pretending to be related to Fortinet, and it caught my attention. It looks like attackers are setting up convincing copies to trick people into downloading things or entering credentials, which feels like a pretty classic move but still effective. What stood out to me is how closely these pages reportedly mirror legitimate branding and language. Based on public reporting, this seems aimed at IT admins or security teams who already trust the name, which makes the approach feel more targeted than random spam.

I am not saying anything illegal is happening beyond what has been publicly described, but it made me curious about how widespread this kind of impersonation is right now. Fortinet is a well known name in security, so it feels ironic that the brand itself is being used as bait.

Posting here mostly to compare notes and see if others have noticed similar patterns, or if this is just one of those short lived campaigns that pops up and disappears again.
Click to expand...
I read something similar recently and it did not really surprise me. Big security brands always seem to get copied because people already trust them. What worries me more is how many people still download things without double checking the source. Even experienced admins can slip when they are busy.
 
Patrick Graham said:
I read something similar recently and it did not really surprise me. Big security brands always seem to get copied because people already trust them. What worries me more is how many people still download things without double checking the source. Even experienced admins can slip when they are busy.
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Yeah that trust factor is huge. Once a name is familiar, people kind of go on autopilot. I have seen this with other vendors too, not just Fortinet. It usually starts with a few fake pages and then suddenly there are dozens indexed.
 
Ethan Hughes said:
Hello everyone, I came across a recent cybersecurity news report that talked about fake sites pretending to be related to Fortinet, and it caught my attention. It looks like attackers are setting up convincing copies to trick people into downloading things or entering credentials, which feels like a pretty classic move but still effective. What stood out to me is how closely these pages reportedly mirror legitimate branding and language. Based on public reporting, this seems aimed at IT admins or security teams who already trust the name, which makes the approach feel more targeted than random spam.

I am not saying anything illegal is happening beyond what has been publicly described, but it made me curious about how widespread this kind of impersonation is right now. Fortinet is a well known name in security, so it feels ironic that the brand itself is being used as bait.

Posting here mostly to compare notes and see if others have noticed similar patterns, or if this is just one of those short lived campaigns that pops up and disappears again.
Click to expand...
I have not personally run into a fake Fortinet page, but I have seen screenshots shared in private groups. They looked pretty convincing at first glance. If someone is not paying attention to the URL, it would be easy to miss. Makes me think training alone is not enough.
 
Nathan Hughes said:
I have not personally run into a fake Fortinet page, but I have seen screenshots shared in private groups. They looked pretty convincing at first glance. If someone is not paying attention to the URL, it would be easy to miss. Makes me think training alone is not enough.
Click to expand...
Same here, screenshots were what made it real for me. When you only hear about it, it feels abstract. Once you see how close the copy is, you realize how easy it is to fall for it. Even more so if you are under time pressure.
 
Ethan Hughes said:
Hello everyone, I came across a recent cybersecurity news report that talked about fake sites pretending to be related to Fortinet, and it caught my attention. It looks like attackers are setting up convincing copies to trick people into downloading things or entering credentials, which feels like a pretty classic move but still effective. What stood out to me is how closely these pages reportedly mirror legitimate branding and language. Based on public reporting, this seems aimed at IT admins or security teams who already trust the name, which makes the approach feel more targeted than random spam.

I am not saying anything illegal is happening beyond what has been publicly described, but it made me curious about how widespread this kind of impersonation is right now. Fortinet is a well known name in security, so it feels ironic that the brand itself is being used as bait.

Posting here mostly to compare notes and see if others have noticed similar patterns, or if this is just one of those short lived campaigns that pops up and disappears again.
Click to expand...
What I wonder is whether these campaigns are mostly automated or manually maintained. Some of them feel very polished, almost like someone is actively updating them. Public reports usually do not go into that level of detail, which leaves a lot of open questions.
 
Matthew Cooper said:
What I wonder is whether these campaigns are mostly automated or manually maintained. Some of them feel very polished, almost like someone is actively updating them. Public reports usually do not go into that level of detail, which leaves a lot of open questions.
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Good point. My guess is it starts automated and then gets adjusted manually once traffic comes in. That is just speculation though. Attackers tend to invest more effort if they see results early on.
 
Michelle Turner said:
Good point. My guess is it starts automated and then gets adjusted manually once traffic comes in. That is just speculation though. Attackers tend to invest more effort if they see results early on.
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That makes sense. I have noticed that fake pages often change wording after a few days, which suggests someone is watching them. It is not just fire and forget anymore.
 
Emily Watson said:
Same here, screenshots were what made it real for me. When you only hear about it, it feels abstract. Once you see how close the copy is, you realize how easy it is to fall for it. Even more so if you are under time pressure.
Click to expand...
Exactly. Time pressure is probably the biggest factor here. When alerts are going off and emails are piling up, people click first and think later. Attackers know that and design everything around it.
 
Patrick Graham said:
Exactly. Time pressure is probably the biggest factor here. When alerts are going off and emails are piling up, people click first and think later. Attackers know that and design everything around it.
Click to expand...
And that is the part that frustrates me. We talk so much about awareness, but the environment itself pushes people to rush. These Fortinet themed lures just exploit that reality.
 
Ethan Hughes said:
Hello everyone, I came across a recent cybersecurity news report that talked about fake sites pretending to be related to Fortinet, and it caught my attention. It looks like attackers are setting up convincing copies to trick people into downloading things or entering credentials, which feels like a pretty classic move but still effective. What stood out to me is how closely these pages reportedly mirror legitimate branding and language. Based on public reporting, this seems aimed at IT admins or security teams who already trust the name, which makes the approach feel more targeted than random spam.

I am not saying anything illegal is happening beyond what has been publicly described, but it made me curious about how widespread this kind of impersonation is right now. Fortinet is a well known name in security, so it feels ironic that the brand itself is being used as bait.

Posting here mostly to compare notes and see if others have noticed similar patterns, or if this is just one of those short lived campaigns that pops up and disappears again.
Click to expand...
I appreciate that you framed this as curiosity rather than certainty. From what is publicly known, impersonation like this happens in waves. It would be interesting to see if this one sticks around longer than usual.
 
Patrick Graham said:
I appreciate that you framed this as curiosity rather than certainty. From what is publicly known, impersonation like this happens in waves. It would be interesting to see if this one sticks around longer than usual.
Click to expand...
True, some campaigns disappear fast once they get attention. Others keep resurfacing under slightly different names. That pattern alone makes tracking them tricky.
 
Ethan Hughes said:
Hello everyone, I came across a recent cybersecurity news report that talked about fake sites pretending to be related to Fortinet, and it caught my attention. It looks like attackers are setting up convincing copies to trick people into downloading things or entering credentials, which feels like a pretty classic move but still effective. What stood out to me is how closely these pages reportedly mirror legitimate branding and language. Based on public reporting, this seems aimed at IT admins or security teams who already trust the name, which makes the approach feel more targeted than random spam.

I am not saying anything illegal is happening beyond what has been publicly described, but it made me curious about how widespread this kind of impersonation is right now. Fortinet is a well known name in security, so it feels ironic that the brand itself is being used as bait.

Posting here mostly to compare notes and see if others have noticed similar patterns, or if this is just one of those short lived campaigns that pops up and disappears again.
Click to expand...
I think Fortinet being a security vendor makes this extra ironic, like you said. People assume anything with that branding must be safe. That assumption is exactly what attackers rely on.
 
Emily Watson said:
I think Fortinet being a security vendor makes this extra ironic, like you said. People assume anything with that branding must be safe. That assumption is exactly what attackers rely on.
Click to expand...
Yeah, it is almost psychological. The brand lowers your guard before you even realize it. That is why brand impersonation keeps working year after year.
 
Ethan Hughes said:
Hello everyone, I came across a recent cybersecurity news report that talked about fake sites pretending to be related to Fortinet, and it caught my attention. It looks like attackers are setting up convincing copies to trick people into downloading things or entering credentials, which feels like a pretty classic move but still effective. What stood out to me is how closely these pages reportedly mirror legitimate branding and language. Based on public reporting, this seems aimed at IT admins or security teams who already trust the name, which makes the approach feel more targeted than random spam.

I am not saying anything illegal is happening beyond what has been publicly described, but it made me curious about how widespread this kind of impersonation is right now. Fortinet is a well known name in security, so it feels ironic that the brand itself is being used as bait.

Posting here mostly to compare notes and see if others have noticed similar patterns, or if this is just one of those short lived campaigns that pops up and disappears again.
Click to expand...
Has anyone seen official statements from the company itself about this kind of misuse? I know some vendors publish advisories when impersonation gets bad. Public records sometimes lag behind what is happening in real time, though.
 
James Thomas said:
Has anyone seen official statements from the company itself about this kind of misuse? I know some vendors publish advisories when impersonation gets bad. Public records sometimes lag behind what is happening in real time, though.
Click to expand...
I have seen advisories from other companies in similar situations, but not sure about this specific case. Sometimes they keep it low key to avoid drawing more attention. Hard to tell what the best approach is.
 
Patrick Graham said:
I have seen advisories from other companies in similar situations, but not sure about this specific case. Sometimes they keep it low key to avoid drawing more attention. Hard to tell what the best approach is.
Click to expand...
You are right about takedowns not being permanent. It feels like a game of whack a mole. From a defender perspective, prevention at the user level still matters a lot.
 
Ethan Hughes said:
Hello everyone, I came across a recent cybersecurity news report that talked about fake sites pretending to be related to Fortinet, and it caught my attention. It looks like attackers are setting up convincing copies to trick people into downloading things or entering credentials, which feels like a pretty classic move but still effective. What stood out to me is how closely these pages reportedly mirror legitimate branding and language. Based on public reporting, this seems aimed at IT admins or security teams who already trust the name, which makes the approach feel more targeted than random spam.

I am not saying anything illegal is happening beyond what has been publicly described, but it made me curious about how widespread this kind of impersonation is right now. Fortinet is a well known name in security, so it feels ironic that the brand itself is being used as bait.

Posting here mostly to compare notes and see if others have noticed similar patterns, or if this is just one of those short lived campaigns that pops up and disappears again.
Click to expand...
What I take from stories like this is that URL checking should be second nature, not optional. Even then, some fake domains look extremely close to the real thing. It is not always obvious.
 
Matthew Cooper said:
What I take from stories like this is that URL checking should be second nature, not optional. Even then, some fake domains look extremely close to the real thing. It is not always obvious.
Click to expand...
Agreed. Sometimes the difference is a single letter or an extra word. Unless you slow down, you will not notice it. And slowing down is exactly what people forget to do.
 

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