According to a new Brand Phishing Report for Q1 2020 by Check Point research, Apple is the brand most frequently targeted brand by cybercriminals as they seeks to capitalize on its powerful brand recognition.
Netflix took the second spot with 9% of all phishing attempts related to the company, perhaps in part due to the increase in people accessing the service during the coronavirus pandemic.
The third spot is shared by Yahoo and WhatsApp with 6 percent each, while PayPal and Chase Bank were used in five percent of attacks each.
Check Point’s researchers have highlighted Yahoo! as most imitated brand for email-based phishing, and Netflix as the most imitated for mobile-based phishing attempts.
The most likely industry to be targeted by brand phishing was technology, followed by banking and then media, according to Check Point research. This illustrates a broad spread of some of the best-known and most used consumer sectors, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic and associated quarantine, whereby individuals are grappling with remote working technology, potential changes to finances, and an uplift in home entertainment services such as streaming.
“Cybercriminals continue to exploit users by adopting highly sophisticated phishing attempts via emails, web and mobile applications purporting to be from well-recognized brands which they know will be in high demand at the moment, whether that’s a high profile product launch or just generally tapping into behavioral changes we’ve seen during the Coronavirus pandemic,” said Maya Horowitz, Director, Threat Intelligence & Research, Products at Check Point.
“Phishing will continue to be a growing threat in the coming months, especially as criminals continue to exploit the fears and needs of people using essential services from their homes. As always, we encourage users to be vigilant and cautious when divulging personal data.”