CAMBRIDGE, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) observed more phishing attacks in
the first quarter of 2016 than at any other time in history. According
to the APWG’s new Phishing Activity Trends Report, the total
number of unique phishing websites observed in Q1 2016 was a record
289,371, with 123,555 of those phishing sites detected in March 2016.
Those quarterly and monthly totals are the highest the APWG has seen
since it began tracking and reporting on phishing in 2004.
There was a 250 percent increase in phishing sites between October 2015
and March 2016. “We always see a surge in phishing during the holiday
season, but the number of phishing sites kept going up from December
into the spring of 2016,” said Greg Aaron, APWG Senior Research Fellow
and Vice-President of iThreat Cyber Group. “The sustained increase into
2016 shows phishers launching more sites, and is cause for concern.”
The full text of the report is available here: http://docs.apwg.org/reports/apwg_trends_report_q1_2016.pdf
APWG Chairman Dave Jevans said, “Globally, attackers using phishing
techniques have become more aggressive in 2016 with keyloggers that have
sophisticated tracking components to target specific information and
organizations such as retailers and financial institutions that top the
list.”
On the heels of this report of record numbers of cybercrime attacks,
APWG will be holding its annual general meeting and cybercrime research
conference next week in Toronto. There, its global cadre of cybercrime
responders, managers and university researchers will be plotting
strategies to neutralize the menace of cybercrime, a sprawling
threatscape growing seemingly unchecked in scope and virulence in recent
years.
Working Agenda:
http://apwg.org/apwg-events/ecrime2016/agenda
Registration
http://apwg.org/apwg-events/ecrime2016/registration
Venue and Accommodations
http://apwg.org/apwg-events/ecrime2016/venue
In the Q1 Trends Report, APWG found that the Retail / Service sector
continued to be the most heavily attacked. APWG member MarkMonitor
observed more attacks targeting cloud-based or SAAS companies, which
drove significant increases in the Retail/Service sector. Financial and
Payment targets were also heavily targeted as usual.
Ransomware continues to be another increasing threat, with APWG members
Forcepoint and PandaLabs seeing increasing numbers of ransomware
infections in early 2016. According to Carl Leonard, Principal Security
Analyst at Forcepoint: “The onslaught of ransomware has not abated in
2016. Ransomware authors exhibited a willingness to adjust their scare
tactics and software in Q1 2016 as they sought to scam more end-users.
The takeaway is clear – ransomware authors are more determined and
aggressive in 2016. End-users should be aware of the danger and take
preventative measures.”
APWG co-founder and Secretary General Peter Cassidy reviewing the
quarter’s disturbing numbers said, “The threat space continues to expand
despite the best efforts of industry, government and law enforcement.
It’s clear we have a lot to talk about in Toronto, perhaps broaching
some broader resolutions to unify efforts across sectors. After all,
what is civilization but the largest conspiracy?”
The full text of the report is available here: http://docs.apwg.org/reports/apwg_trends_report_q1_2016.pdf
About the APWG
The APWG, founded in 2003 as the Anti-Phishing Working Group, is a
global industry, law enforcement, and government coalition of more than
1,800 institutions working to unify the global response to electronic
crime. Since 2004, the APWG has developed and curated one of the world’s
largest NGO-managed clearinghouses of cybercrime event data enabling the
sharing of this data to protect consumers and businesses alike. APWG’s
directors, managers and research fellows advise and correspond with
national governments; global governance bodies like the Organisation for
Economic Co-operation and Development, International Telecommunications
Union and ICANN; hemispheric and global trade groups; and multilateral
treaty organizations such as the European Commission, the G8 High
Technology Crime Subgroup, Council of Europe’s Convention on Cybercrime,
United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime, Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe, Europol EC3 and the Organization of American
States. APWG is a member of the steering group of the Commonwealth
Cybercrime Initiative at the Commonwealth of Nations. Membership is open
to qualified financial institutions, online retailers, ISPs and Telcos,
the law enforcement community, solutions providers, multi-lateral treaty
organizations, research centers, trade associations and government
agencies. The APWG’s www.apwg.org
and education.apwg.org
websites offer the public, industry and government agencies practical
information about phishing and electronically mediated fraud as well as
pointers to pragmatic technical solutions that provide immediate
protection. APWG is co-founder and co-manager of the STOP. THINK.
CONNECT. Messaging Convention, the global online safety public awareness
collaborative https://education.apwg.org/safety-messaging-convention/
and founder/curator of the eCrime Researchers Summit, the world’s first
peer-reviewed conference dedicated specifically to electronic crime
studies www.ecrimeresearch.org.
Among APWG’s corporate sponsors include: AhnLab, Area 1, ATT (T),
Afilias Ltd., Avast!, AVG Technologies, Axur, Baidu Antivirus, Bangkok
Bank, BBN Technologies, Barracuda Networks, BillMeLater, Bkav, Blue
Coat, BrandMail, BrandProtect, Bsecure Technologies, CSC Digital Brand
Services, Check Point Software Technologies, Claro, Cloudmark, Comcast,
CSIRTBANELCO, Cyber Defender, Cyveillance, DNS Belgium, DigiCert, Domain
Tools, Donuts, Easy Solutions, PayPal, eCert, EC Cert, ESET, EST Soft,
Facebook, FeelSafe Digital, FEBRABAN, Fortinet, FraudWatch
International, F-Secure, GetResponse, GlobalSign, GoDaddy, Google,
GroupIB, Hauri, Hitachi Systems, Ltd., Huawei, ICANN, Infoblox, IronPort
(Cisco), ING Bank, Infoblox, Interac, Internet.bs, IT Matrix, iThreat
Cyber Group, iZOOlogic, LaCaixa, Lenos Software, MX Tools, MailChannels,
MailJet, MailChimp, MailShell, MarkMonitor, M86Security, McAfee (MFE),
Melbourne IT, MessageLevel, Microsoft (MSFT), MicroWorld, Mimecast,
Mirapoint, NHN, MyPW, nProtect Online Security, Netcraft, Network
Solutions, NeuStar, Nominet, Nominum, NZRS Limited, Public Interest
Registry, Panda Software, Phishlabs, PhishMe, Planty.net, Prevalent,
Prevx, Proofpoint, QinetiQ, RSA Security (EMC), Rakuten, Return Path,
RiskIQ, RuleSpace, SalesForce, SecureBrain, SendGrid, S21sec, SIDN,
SilverPop, SiteLock, SnoopWall, SoftForum, SoftLayer, SoftSecurity,
SOPHOS, SunTrust, SurfControl, Symantec (SYMC), Tagged, TDS Telecom,
Telefonica (TEF), TransCreditBank, Trend Micro (TMIC), Trustwave, Vasco
(VDSI), VADE-RETRO, VeriSign (VRSN), Wombat Security Technologies,
Yahoo! (YHOO), and zvelo.