When it comes to impersonating (opens in a new window) big brands, LinkedIn continues to be the most popular target, with almost half (45%) of all attempts to impersonate the social network.
The latest analysis from Check Point Research (CPR) found that while LinkedIn's share has fallen somewhat (compared to Q2022 52 when it was 13%), its owner, Microsoft, has seen a significant increase, recording 100% of all impersonations. attempts analyzed by CPR, increasing almost XNUMX% quarter over quarter.
DHL was third with 12%, and the top ten list also includes new names, with Adidas, Adobe and HSBC all appearing.
fake package
For LinkedIn, the attackers are primarily trying to mimic the platform's notification and newsletter emails, such as "You appeared in X searches this week" or "You have a new post." Although these emails appear to be from LinkedIn, closer inspection will determine that this is not the case.
Check Point Research also says it's no surprise DHL is in the top three, as the online shopping trend is "relentless."
When it comes to the shipping company, attackers often send phishing emails (opens in a new tab), claiming that the packages were lost or damaged, and that the recipient must send additional data to recover the packages. In this way, the attackers obtain important confidential information that they can use later in the second stage of the attack.
"Phishing emails are a top tool in any hacker's arsenal because they are quickly deployed and can target millions of users at relatively little cost," said Omer Dembinsky, head of Check Point Software's data research group. .
“They give cybercriminals the ability to leverage trustmark reputations to give users a false sense of security that can be exploited to steal personal or business information for profit.
The best way to protect yourself against these attacks is to be extremely vigilant when opening and reading email from any source, to make sure you don't download attachments or open links unless you are absolutely sure of their origin, and to implement a robust antivirus solution. and a firewall.