Microsoft topped the list of brands that hackers imitated the most during Q3 2020. Attackers impersonated Microsoft the most during the said period, courtesy of phishing attempts. This way, attackers tried to lure people into giving up their personal data, as per the latest report by Check Point Research.
Hackers targeted Microsoft the most in Q3 2020
“Our latest Brand Phishing Report for Q3 2020 revealed the brands which were most frequently imitated by criminals in their attempts to steal individuals’ personal information or payment credentials during July, August and September,” said Check Point Research.
As revealed by security researchers, Microsoft consistently remained on the radar of cybercriminals who tried performing the highest number of phishing attacks while pretending to be the Redmond-based software company.
As attackers tried to use the work-from-home situation to their advantage to steal the login credentials of remote workers, 19 percent of all brand phishing attempts were related to Microsoft. DHL made it to the list of top 10 brands imitated by hackers the most for the first time. After Microsoft, DHL came second with 9 percent of all phishing attempts related to the German logistics company.
Following is the list of the top 10 phishing brands (arranged as per their share of the total number of phishing attempts as a percentage) in Q3 2020:
- Microsoft (19 percent)
- DHL (9 percent)
- Google (9 percent)
- PayPal (6 percent)
- Netflix (6 percent)
- Facebook (5 percent)
- Apple (5 percent)
- Whatsapp (5 percent)
- Amazon (4 percent)
- Instagram (4 percent)
Plus, following is the list of top 3 phishing brands alongside their share of the total number of phishing attempts as a percentage in Q3 2020:
- Email (44 percent)
- Web (43 percent)
- Mobile (12 percent)
What’s more, Microsoft also topped the list of brands imitated the most by hackers using email and web platforms.
In July 2020, Microsoft revealed that the company took legal action against attackers who tried to target its customers in 62 countries. Last month. security researchers uncovered critical vulnerabilities allowing attackers to bypass multi-factor authentication (MFA) for Microsoft 365.
