Apple was the most imitated brand in web-based phishing campaigns in the first quarter of 2020, new research shows.
An example of a fradulent Apple phishing page. Credit: Malwarebytes Lab
Phishing remains one of the most popular tactics for cybercriminals and other bad actors to steal data or money across through fraudulent links sent via email, text or web browser redirects.
According to a new report from cybersecurity firm Checkpoint, web-based phishing campaigns remained the most popular in Q1 2020, accounting for 59% of attempts. Apple ranked as the most imitated brand for the category, followed by Netflix, PayPal, and eBay.
Apple's jump from 7th place in the fourth quarter of 2019 to first place in Q1 2020 may have been the result of phishing campaigns attempting to take advantage of the buzz surrounding unreleased Apple products, Checkpoint theorizes.
Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, there are a few other notable changes. Mobile-based phishing detections became the second most common attack vector, up from third place in Q4 2019, likely due to more users working from home. Previously, email ranked in second place.
Services commonly used in both at-home leisure and work, like PayPal and Netflix, also saw a boost in popularity between the Q4 2019 and the beginning of Q1 2020.
Checkpoint notes that the total number of brand-based phishing attempts remained stable between Q4 2019 and Q1 2020.
Earlier in April, the U.S. and U.K. governments warned citizens against clicking on any suspicious links to supposed relief websites.