Earlier this year, Check Point revealed that Apple was the most imitated phishing brand in the first quarter, but in recent months it has fallen to seventh, with Google and Amazon now in the top spots. Phishing is estimated to be the starting point for more than 90% of all cyberattacks and, according to the Verizon 2019 Data Breach Investigation Report, nearly one-third (32%) of all cyberattacks. the data implied phishing activity. In addition, phishing was present in 78% of cyber espionage incidents and in the installation and use of back doors in corporate networks. While phishing attacks try to steal user credentials and other sensitive data, brand phishing involves an attacker impersonating an official website of a well-known brand using a similar domain or URL. Links to these deceptive websites that mimic the style and layout of a brand's official website are sent via email or text message and often contain a form used to steal credentials, personal information or payments. .
Top Phishing Brands
According to Check Point Research's new brand phishing report for the second quarter of 2020, Google and Amazon were the most imitated brands in phishing attempts, and the total number of brand phishing detections was comparable to the first quarter of this anus. Email phishing exploits were the second most common type after web-based exploits compared to Q19, when email was third. The easing of global Covid-XNUMX restrictions could be the reason for this change, as businesses around the world have begun to reopen and employees are returning to work. When it comes to the top industry areas for brands used in QXNUMX phishing attacks, technology, banking and social media were the most popular among cybercriminals. In attacks impersonating email services, Microsoft, Outlook and Unicredit were the most imitated brands, while Google, Amazon and WhatsApp were the most imitated web companies. On mobile, brand phishing attempts have attempted to impersonate Facebook, WhatsApp, and PayPal. To avoid falling victim to phishing scams, Check Point recommends that users verify that they are ordering products or services from a bona fide website, beware of "special" offers that sound too good to be true, and look for similar areas that may contain misspellings.