When scammers try to steal sensitive information or banking details through phishing, they are increasingly impersonating Yahoo to try to defraud their victims, new research shows.
Check Point Research experts analyzed the most counterfeited brands in the fourth quarter of 2022. According to the report, one-fifth (20%) of all phishing attacks that took place in October, November and December 2022 will become the most counterfeited brand in this period.
Typically, scammers created emails notifying victims that they had won a “prize” or “cash prize” after a contest hosted by Yahoo. To receive a reward or payment (usually in the hundreds of thousands of dollars), victims are asked to provide their personal information (opens in a new tab)including bank details.
DHL, Microsoft and LinkedIn
The email also warns victims not to talk to people about it due to “legal issues”.
Overall, the tech industry is the most counterfeited, according to Check Point Research. DHL was the second most counterfeited brand, accounting for 16% of all attacks.
The fourth quarter of the year is the festive season, with Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Christmas and New Year’s being the reasons for increased shopping and therefore increased DHL spoofing.
With 11%, Microsoft rounded out the top three. After a short drop down the list, LinkedIn returned to fifth place, accounting for 5.7% of all phishing attacks.
Phishing remains one of the most popular (and effective) formats for cyberattacks and online fraud. By preying on gullible and distributed users, criminals are able to trick them into divulging a lot of confidential information. In some cases, they are even able to trick them into downloading and running various malicious programs, which can lead to even more dangerous attacks such as ransomware.
The best protection against phishing is to always be vigilant when receiving emails and not believe anything without double checking for authenticity.