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Apple was the most widely used brand in phishing attacks during the first quarter of 2020, according to Check Point research. The research report “Brand Identity Theft Report” revealed that up to 10% of all brand identity theft attempts in 2020 so far were misusing the Apple brand.
The report indicated that Apple is the primary target of cybercriminals to exploit its brand recognition, which rose from seventh place in the fourth quarter of 2019 to the top this year in the ranking. The report highlights several brands that hackers frequently imitated in their cyber activities to steal the victim’s confidential information. According to the report, Netflix took second place after Apple with 9% of all company-related phishing attempts. The Chase Bank brand increased 3% from the fourth quarter of 2019 to sixth place, with 5% of phishing attempts.
What is a brand phishing attack?
In brand phishing attacks, attackers mimic the official website of a popular brand by creating a domain name or URL similar to the original site. Links to the fraudulent website will be sent to specific people by email or SMS. Once a user clicks on the link, it redirects them to the fake website which often contains a form intended to steal users’ credentials, payment details, or confidential information.
Check Point stated that technology, banking and media are the most specific sectors in brand phishing attacks. The company also listed the top ten brands targeting phishing attacks in the first quarter of 2020, including:
- Apple (with 10% of brand phishing attempts globally)
- Netflix (9%)
- Yahoo (6%)
- WhatsApp (6%)
- PayPal (5%)
- Chase (5%)
- Facebook (3%)
- Microsoft (3%)
- eBay (3%)
- Amazon (1%)
Research indicated that web phishing was reported as the most common attack vector with 59% of attempts in the first quarter of 2020. While mobile phishing was the second, with 23% of attempts and phishing per Email came in third with 18% of attempts.
Maya Horowitz, director of Threat Intelligence & Research, Products at Check Point, said: “Cybercriminals continue to exploit users by adopting highly sophisticated phishing attempts through emails, web and mobile applications that purport to be from well-known brands. where they know they’ll be in high demand right now, whether it’s a high-profile product launch or simply taking advantage of the behavioral changes we’ve seen during the Coronavirus pandemic. 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 disclosing personal data. “
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