What Is Credential Harvesting? Tactics and Prevention

Imagine a thief silently slipping into your home and copying your keys so they can get back in. They don’t steal anything on their first visit, so you don’t even realize they were there. This is essentially what happens with credential harvesting, a cybercrime where attackers steal usernames and passwords to access sensitive systems or data.

Securing your company’s credentials—and those of its employees—protects sensitive data, financial assets, and reputation. By understanding the risks of credential harvesting and taking proactive measures, you can maintain control over your accounts and reduce the risk of cyberattacks.

What Is Credential Harvesting?

Credential harvesting is a form of credential attack when a cybercriminal steals usernames and passwords to gain unauthorized access to sensitive data. Attackers commonly employ this technique as an entry point to breach networks or escalate privileges. It can happen through phishing attacks, malicious websites, or exploiting poorly secured systems.

Credential harvesting poses a unique challenge for organizations because it often targets individuals, making it a human vulnerability as much as a technical one. Addressing this threat requires strong identity protection measures, security awareness among teams, and strategies like multi-factor authentication (MFA).

How Does Credential Harvesting Work?

Credential harvesting usually works by tricking people into sharing their login credentials, though some attackers also exploit system vulnerabilities to steal them. One common method is credential harvesting by phishing, where attackers send deceptive messages that appear to come from trusted sources, such as a bank or employer, and steal credentials when the user enters them into the fake system.

Alternatively, intruders can use malicious software that secretly collects credentials as users type them. They may also exploit weak or reused passwords by referencing password databases from previous breaches. Once a cybercriminal has one set of credentials, they’re likely to try it across multiple systems to exploit poor password management practices.

5 Common Credential Harvesting Techniques

Cybercriminals combine technical tricks with social engineering to obtain login credentials. Below are some of the most common methods:

1. Phishing: Attackers send emails, text messages, or social media links designed to look like they come from trusted organizations. These messages prompt recipients to click on a link to resolve an issue, like resetting a password. The link usually leads to a fake login page where criminals collect credentials, but it might also prompt people to unknowingly download malware or even send money to someone.
2. Spear phishing: While phishers often send messages out to random users (a practice known as bulk phishing), spear phishing targets a specific group, like employees of a certain organization or people who are known to have sensitive data within their accounts.
3. Keylogging: Keylogging happens when malicious software—which could come from email attachments, compromised websites, or infected USB drives—records every keystroke on a victim's device. This allows attackers to capture credentials and other sensitive information. Keyloggers operate silently, making them difficult to detect without advanced endpoint security tools.
4. Password spraying: Attempting multiple passwords on a single account can trigger an account lockout. Instead, attackers try a small number of common passwords, like “password123” or “qwerty,” across many accounts.
5. Credential stuffing: Attackers use stolen credentials from previous data breaches to log in to other platforms or services—a technique that relies on the widespread problem of password reuse. For example, credentials stolen from a retail site may be used to access banking, email, or corporate accounts.

How to Identify Credential Harvesting

Detecting credential harvesting early can prevent more significant security breaches. Below are some top indicators to watch for:

• Suspicious messages: Look for mismatched sender addresses or links leading to unfamiliar websites. Legitimate organizations rarely ask for credentials via email or text.
• Fake login pages: Without actually opening the link, check the URL that the communication is trying to send you to. Credential harvesters often create websites that look identical to legitimate ones but have slightly altered or misspelled URLs.
• Unusual account activity: Watch for unexpected password resets, failed login attempts, or logins from unfamiliar locations or devices. These could indicate that credentials were compromised and are now being tested by attackers.
• Reports of reused credentials: If a security service reports that it found your credentials in a breach, it’s safe to assume they have been harvested. Act quickly to protect your accounts.

How to Prevent Credential Harvesting

Organizations can avoid credential harvesting by implementing strong password policies and enforcing tightly controlled access permissions so that only the right people can access sensitive data. Here are some more credential security strategies:

Scope Permissions Among Users

Limit each user's access to only what they need for their role—also known as the principle of least privilege. For example, a marketing employee shouldn’t have access to financial or system admin tools if they don’t need them. This minimizes the damage if someone does steal credentials.

Regularly review permissions to ensure they remain appropriate, especially when roles or responsibilities change.

Use Passwordless Methods of Authentication

Passwordless methods, like biometrics or single-use codes, eliminate the risk of stolen or reused passwords. MFA combined with passwordless solutions provides even stronger protection, preventing attackers from accessing accounts without an additional factor.

Implement Awareness Initiatives

Well-informed employees are one of the best defenses against credential harvesting. Educate everyone about credential harvesting techniques like phishing and fake login pages. Regular training sessions and simulated phishing exercises help people recognize suspicious activity and respond appropriately.

Monitor and Respond to Suspicious Activity

Use tools that detect unusual patterns, such as repeated login attempts, logins from unfamiliar locations, or spikes in access requests. Setting up automated alerts for suspicious behavior allows your security team to act quickly and prevent further exploitation.

Enforce Strong Authentication Policies

Require unique, complex credentials for all accounts and encourage the use of password managers to simplify compliance. Mandate periodic password changes and block reuse to reduce the risk of credential stuffing.

Protect Against Credential Harvesting Attacks With Legit Security

The Legit Security ASPM platform gives you unprecedented visibility into your SDLC, including developer permissions. The platform highlights where teams have unnecessary privileges that are needlessly increasing your risk.

In addition, Legit Security provides enterprise-grade secrets scanning, giving you the visibility, prevention, and remediation capabilities you need to secure secrets across the entire development lifecycle.

Ready to take credential management to the next level? Request a demo.