Ride the Lightning

Cybersecurity and Future of Law Practice Blog
by Sharon D. Nelson Esq., President of Sensei Enterprises, Inc.

Phishing Attacks: Google and Amazon Are the Most Impersonated Brands

August 10, 2020

TechRepublic posted on August 4 that a new report from cyber threat intelligence provider Check Point Research identifies some of the most impersonated brands during the second quarter of 2020. Check Point's "Brand Phishing Report for Q2 2020" found that Google and Amazon were the most impersonated brands last quarter, each accounting for 13% of the brand phishing campaigns analyzed. At the same time, Apple dropped from first place in the first quarter of 2020 to seventh place in the second quarter, accounting for only 2% of the brand phishing attacks.

WhatsApp and Facebook tied for third place, each representing 9% of the observed brand phishing campaigns. Microsoft accounted for 7%, Outlook for 3%, and Netflix tied with Apple, Huawei, and PayPal for 2%. Looking at industries, the most impersonated were technology, followed by banking, and then social networks.

Among different attack vectors or platforms, email accounted for 24% of the brand phishing campaigns, with Microsoft, Outlook, and UniCredit the most impersonated. Web-based attacks encompassed 61%, with Google, Amazon, and WhatsApp the most spoofed. And mobile brands accounted for 15% of all attacks, with Facebook, WhatsApp, and PayPal the most imitated.

To protect yourself and your organization against these types of brand phishing attacks, Check Point offers the following advice:

  • Verify that you're using or ordering from an authentic website. One way to do this is NOT to click on promotional links in emails. Instead, search for your desired retailer and select the link from the search results.
  • Beware of "special" offers. An 80% discount on a new iPhone is usually not a reliable or trustworthy purchase opportunity.
  • Beware of lookalike domains, spelling errors in emails or websites, and unfamiliar email senders.

Excellent advice which is all too often ignored!

Sharon D. Nelson, Esq., President, Sensei Enterprises, Inc.
3975 University Drive, Suite 225|Fairfax, VA 22030
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