As cybercriminals plan to take advantage of online shopping in the run-up to the holiday season, Amazon has surpassed DHL to take second place, accounting for 13% of all phishing attempts compared to 11% the previous quarter.
According to a report released on Tuesday, Microsoft remained the most mimicked brand in the third quarter, accounting for 29% of all phishing attacks globally, down from 45% in the second quarter of 2021.
For the first time this year, social media was among the top three industries imitated in phishing attempts, according to Check Point Research (CPR), with WhatsApp, LinkedIn, and Facebook all featuring in the top ten list of most imitated brands.
In a statement, Omer Dembinsky, Data Research Group Manager at Check Point Software, said “For the first time this year, social channels have become one of the top three categories exploited by cyber criminals, no doubt in an attempt to take advantage of the increasing number of people working and communicating remotely in the wake of the pandemic,”
Dembinsky added, “Following the data from Q3, we’d also urge users to be vigilant when it comes to any emails or other communications that appear to be from social media channels such as Facebook or WhatsApp,”
As cybercriminals plan to take advantage of online shopping in the run-up to the holiday season, Amazon has surpassed DHL to take second place, accounting for 13% of all phishing attempts compared to 11% the previous quarter.
During the months of July, August, and September, the report highlights the brands that were most frequently mimicked by cybercriminals in their attempts to steal individuals’ personal information or payment credentials.
In a brand phishing attack, cybercriminals attempt to imitate the official website of well-known brands by using a domain name or URL and a web-page design that is similar to the legitimate site.