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RETAIL GIANT , WALMART , RANKS FIRST IN LIST OF BRANDS MOST LIKELY TO BE IMITATED IN PHISHING ATTEMPTS
Check Point Research ( CPR ), the threat intelligence arm of Check Point Software Technologies and a leading provider of cybersecurity solutions globally , has published its Brand Phishing Report for Q1 2023 . The report highlights the brands that were most frequently imitated by cybercriminals in their attempts to steal individuals ’ personal information or payment credentials during January , February and March 2023 .
Multinational retail giant , Walmart , topped the ranking last quarter , accounting for 16 % of all attempts and climbing from 13th place in Q4 2022 . This is due to a significant phishing campaign urging victims to click on a malicious survey link , relating to ‘ the supply system collapse ’.
Meanwhile , DHL held on to second place , appearing in 13 % of phishing events , closely followed by Microsoft with 12 % during the quarter . Overall , the technology sector was the most imitated industry , followed by shipping and retail .
The latest report also highlights how threat actors are leveraging organisations in the finance sector to steal account details . Bank Raiffeisen made the list for the first time to the 8th place . In the Raiffeisen phishing campaign , which accounted for 3.6 % of phishing attacks last quarter , recipients were encouraged to click on a malicious link and to ensure the accounts security against any fraudulent activity . Once submitted , those details would then be stolen by the attacker .
URL and a webpage design that resembles the genuine site . The link to the fake website can be sent to targeted individuals by email or text message , a user can be redirected during web browsing or it may be triggered from a fraudulent mobile application . The fake website often contains a form intended to steal users ’ credentials , payment details or other personal information .
Top phishing brands in Q1 2023
Below are the top brands ranked by its overall appearance in brand phishing attempts :
1 . Walmart ( relating to 16 % of all phishing attacks globally ) 2 . DHL ( 13 %) 3 . Microsoft ( 12 %) 4 . LinkedIn ( 6 %) 5 . FedEx ( 4.9 %) 6 . Google ( 4.8 %) 7 . Netflix ( 4 %) 8 . Raiffeisen ( 3.6 %) 9 . PayPal ( 3.5 %) x
Omer Dembinsky , Data Group Manager at Check Point Software
“ Criminal groups orchestrate phishing campaigns to get as many people to part with their personal data as possible ,” said Omer Dembinsky , Data Group Manager at Check Point Software . “ In some cases , attacks are designed to obtain account information , as seen with the Raiffeisen campaigns . Others are deployed to steal payment details , which we witnessed with popular streaming service , Netflix .”
He added : “ The best defence against phishing threats , as ever , is knowledge . Employees should be given appropriate training to spot suspicious traits such as misspelled domains , typos , incorrect dates and other details that can expose a malicious email or link .”
In a brand phishing attack , criminals try to imitate the official website of a well-known brand by using a similar domain name or
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