Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. CAPTCHAs can be annoying, but they provide a level of user verification that can help web services defend against a range of cyber threats. Unfortunately, they can also be employed as malicious lures that target visitors, and appear to be becoming a weapon of choice for modern cybercriminals. Also: Ordering a new phone? Watch out for this convincing scam that hits immediately after According to CrowdStrike's 2026 Global Threat Report, published on Tuesday, fake CAPTCHA lures are being adopted at breakneck speed by attackers hoping to compromise your devices. Over the past two years, their popularity has increased to the point that malicious browser update lures are being retired in favor of them. A CAPTCHA, otherwise known as the wordy "Completely Automated Public Turing Test to tell Computers and Humans Apart," is a challenge-and-response mechanism found on websites.…