Account Takeover Fraud (ATO)

Account Takeover Fraud (ATO) is a severe form of cybercrime in which attackers gain unauthorized access to a legitimate user’s online account, most commonly by exploiting stolen, leaked, or otherwise compromised credentials. Once control is obtained, threat actors can conduct fraudulent transactions, withdraw funds, steal personally identifiable information (PII), change account details, or impersonate the victim to target additional individuals or organizations. ATO attacks frequently originate from phishing campaigns, malware infections, credential‑stuffing operations, or credentials purchased on the dark web. Because ATO directly impacts customers, revenue, and brand trust, it is one of the most damaging and fast‑growing digital fraud threats facing organizations today.