Microsoft replaced as the most-phished company by a surprising entrant

Microsoft replaced as the nigh-phished company by a surprising entrant

(Image credit: DHL)

Going into the holiday flavor, a surprising entrant displaced Microsoft equally the biggest target for phishing attempts globally: DHL, the German language logistics giant.

Cheque Point Research institute that in Q4 2021, when the Christmas holidays see shoppers ordering presents left, right, and centre, saw DHL go the target of 23% of phishing attempts globally, followed by Microsoft (20%), WhatsApp (11%), and Google (10%).

Microsoft has been the long-fourth dimension target of phishing attempts, bookkeeping for a stunning 29% in Q3 2021. FedEx also made a rare peak x appearance in Q4, clocking in at 3%, equally attackers sought to capitalise on vulnerable online shoppers.

According to Check Point, a popular technique used by bad actors is impersonating a social media brand, evidenced by WhatsApp moving from 6th identify in Q3 to 3rd identify in Q4.

Check Betoken describes "brand phishing", whereby the brand, logo, and full general aesthetic are imitated to confuse people into inputting valuable details. The research group fifty-fifty provided some examples of phishing emails "from" PayPal, FedEx, and DHL.

Check Point Research — An case phishing e-mail, seeking to confuse DHL customers. (Image credit: Bank check Indicate Research )

Double cheque, triple bank check

Phishing emails are incredibly commonplace now, especially around busy periods, and even the most tech savvy among us tin can be fooled by their slick designs or just absentmindedly click on a link.

In the UK, Royal Post has been an obvious target for shoppers with seemingly innocuous texts arriving about delayed shipping and associated fees. If you're expecting a parcel, it isn't unreasonable to accidentally click on the link.

The all-time advice is double and triple check annihilation from a company that is asking for details and data, such as past looking at the email accost or sender, which tin often exist bogus on closer inspection.

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Max Slater-Robins has been writing about technology for nearly a decade at diverse outlets, covering the ascent of the technology giants, trends in enterprise and SaaS companies, and much more also. Originally from Suffolk, he currently lives in London and likes a good night out and walks in the countryside.