Cybercriminals are increasingly engaging in so-called brand phishing attacks, through which Official imitation sites of famous brands, to access the personal data of the victims.
But what were the 10 brands most imitated by cybercriminals in the past three months trying to steal personal data? 45% of all brand phishing attempts involved Microsoft, which is a six-point increase compared to the first quarter of 2021.
The Microsoft brand topped the list of the most popular products being copied, as it did in the first quarter of 2021 and the fourth quarter of 2020. Other major brands followed by their public appearances in brand phishing attempts: DHL (26%), Amazon (11%), Bestbuy (4%), Google (3%), LinkedIn (3%), Dropbox (1%), Chase (1%), Apple (1%) και Paypal ( 0.5%).
In a brand phishing attack, criminals try to imitate the official website of a famous brand by using a similar domain name or URL and designing a website with the original website. The fake website link may be sent to the targeted individuals via email or text message.
The user can be redirected while browsing the web or it can be activated by a deceptive mobile app. A fake website often contains a form that aims to steal users’ credentials, payment information, or other personal information.
Privacy
Analysts point out that cybercriminals are steadily increasing their efforts to steal people’s personal data, posing as top brands. They focus heavily on technology, shipping, and retail.
In the first quarter of 2021, interest rate banking topped the list of retailers, but it has now regained its place in the top three, possibly due to Amazon Prime Day discounts. Analysts also note that the second quarter of 2021 saw a global spread of ransomware attacks, which often initially spread through phishing emails with malicious attachments.
Unfortunately, it is the human factor that often fails to recognize misspelled domains or suspicious texts and emails, and as a result, cybercriminals continue to impersonate trusted brands to trick people into giving out their personal information.
As always, we encourage users to be careful when disclosing their data and to think carefully before opening email attachments or links, especially emails that claim to come from companies such as Amazon, Microsoft or DHL, as they are the most likely to be spoofed.” Check Point Software comments on the latest brand phishing report.
With information from SEPE
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