CHARLESTON, S.C.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–PhishLabs,
the leading provider of 24/7 phishing defense and intelligence
solutions, today released its 2016
Phishing Trends Intelligence Report: Hacking the Human,
that exposes the murky evolution of a thriving, sophisticated phishing
underworld. The report is based on more than one million confirmed
malicious phishing sites residing on more than 130,000 unique domains,
and the movement of more than 90 threat actor groups and organizations
actively deploying spear phishing.
Senior PhishLabs executives will spotlight the report’s key findings
next week at RSA
Conference 2016 (Booth 3845), Feb. 29 – March 3, in San Francisco.
The report is authored the PhishLabs R.A.I.D. (Research, Analysis, and
Intelligence Division), comprised of some of the world’s brightest minds
in phishing threat intelligence. Each month, PhishLabs actively
investigates and mitigates more than 6,000 phishing attacks; working to
identify the underlying infrastructure used and shut down the
originating attack source.
Key findings:
-
Spear phishing remains the primary initial attack vector used by
APT actors. However, 22 percent of spear phishing attacks analyzed
in 2015 were motivated by financial fraud or related crimes. -
The number of organizations targeted with Business Email Compromise
(BEC) spear phishing attacks grew tremendously in 2015 as threat
actors refined BEC techniques and sought new victims. -
90 percent of consumer-focused phishing attacks targeted
financial institutions, cloud storage/file hosting sites, webmail and
online services, ecommerce sites, and payment services. -
While financial institutions and payment services
continue to be the most highly targeted organizations, their share
of overall phishing volume declined in 2015. -
There was a distinct increase in the percentage
of phishing attacks targeting cloud storage and file hosting sites,
webmail and online services, and ecommerce sites. -
Gmail is used for more than half of all data drop email accounts,
making it the top webmail service used by attackers to receive
credentials stolen via phishing. -
During the holiday season, online services and ecommerce
companies were heavily targeted while attacks targeting
other sectors declined. -
Social media is a primary promotion and distribution
channel for consumer-focused phishing kits and related goods or
services. -
Techniques to evade automated detection of phishing
attacks and to prevent analysis of attack components are
becoming more commonplace, even among less sophisticated threat actors.
“Our research clearly shows that phishing attacks are the weapon of
choice for adversaries across the spectrum,” said John
LaCour, Founder and CEO of PhishLabs. “Most successful hacks today
start with a phishing attack. It is critical for organizations to
understand the true risk of phishing and how they can fight back to
protect their business.”
About PhishLabs
Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Charleston, South Carolina, USA,
PhishLabs provides 24/7 cybersecurity and threat intelligence services
that help organizations fight back against attacks targeting their
employees and customers. PhishLabs is trusted by four of the top five
U.S. financial institutions, seven of the top 25 global financial
institutions, leading social media and career sites, and top healthcare,
retail, insurance and technology companies. In addition to mitigating
more than 6,000 phishing attacks per month, PhishLabs clients benefit
from real-world actionable intelligence, analysis, and guidance from the
PhishLabs R.A.I.D. research division, which is comprised of some of the
world’s most respected malware researchers, reverse engineers, and
threat analysts focused on monitoring global attack trends, dissecting
cyber tradecraft, and tracking cybercrime. For more information visit https://www.phishlabs.com
and follow @phishlabs.
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Management Strategies, Inc., in the United States and other countries.
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