Microsoft ended 2020 as the brand most frequently targeted by cyber criminals, with 43% of all brand phishing attempts related to the tech giant in Q4, according to IT Pro. This was a 24% increase from the third quarter of the year, which saw 19% of all attempts linked to the tech giant. The attempts are from criminals looking to steal personal information or payment credentials by impersonating well-known brands that are likely to be used by the employee and their organisation. Shipping firm DHL was the second most-spoofed brand for the end of 2020, as criminals sought to take advantage of the significantly higher number of shoppers placing their orders online. Many of these attacks involved delivery failure notices, asking the target to pay a nominal fee to arrange a new delivery. Google came 7th on the list with only 2% of all brand-related phishing in its name, while Amazon ended the year in fourth with 5% and LinkedIn was third with 6%.
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