The 10 most imitated brands for phishing attempts in 2021 so far

Photo by Mikhail Nilov from Pexels

Microsoft was again the brand most frequently targeted by cybercriminals, as it was in Q4 2020. 39% of all brand phishing attempts were related to the technology giant - down slightly from 43% in Q4, as threat actors continued to try to capitalise on people working remotely during the Covid-19 pandemic. DHL maintained its position as the second most impersonated brand, with 18% of all phishing attempts related to it, as criminals persisted in taking advantage of the growing reliance on online shopping.

The report also reveals that technology is still the most likely industry to be targeted by brand phishing, followed by shipping. However, banking has replaced retail in the top three industries this quarter, as two banking brands – Wells Fargo and Chase – are now in the top ten list, showing how threat actors are exploiting the recent surge in digital payments due to the pandemic, and the increased dependency on online banking, shopping and home deliveries, to trick users and commit financial fraud.

In a brand phishing attack, criminals try to imitate the official website of a well-known brand by using a similar domain name or URL and web-page design to 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 by 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 2021

Below are the top brands ranked by their overall appearance in brand phishing attempts:

1. Microsoft (related to 39% of all brand phishing attempts globally)
2. DHL (18%)
3. Google (9%)
4. Roblox (6%)
5. Amazon (5%)
6. Wells Fargo (4%)
7. Chase (2%)
8. LinkedIn (2%)
9. Apple (2%)
10. Dropbox (2%)