July 15–Could a hacker imitate your brand, attempt to poach customers and inadvertently tarnish your reputation?

A recent brand phishing report issued by Check Point software shows which brands are most commonly imitated by hackers. The report focuses on the April, May and June timeframe.

Within this period, Microsoft warned of a new Russian Nobelium phishing campaign. Microsoft also functioned as the most frequently impersonated brand by cyber criminals. Coincidence?

Nearly all brand phishing attempts were related to Microsoft across the three month timeframe. Microsoft was also the most frequently imitated in early 2021 and in late 2020.

Other industries trailed behind the tech giant considerably when it came to brand impersonation attempts. Shipping company DHL represents the second most commonly impersonated brand.

The Check Point report also notes that the shipping and retail industries are common targets of criminals who wish to develop brand phishing campaigns.

In April, May and June of 2021, the top phishing brands by overall appearance were:

1. Microsoft (related to 45% of all brand phishing attempts globally)
2. DHL (26%)
3. Amazon (11%)
4. Bestbuy (4%)
5. Google (3%)
6. LinkedIn (3%)
7. Dropbox (1%)
8. Chase (1%)
9. Apple (1%)
10. Paypal (0.5%)

For more information about brand phishing threats, click here.