In a new blog post, the Websense Security Labs investigated current phishing trends. The research includes the following,
– The top 10 countries hosting phishing (The UK moved up from the number six spot)
– The five most dangerous subject lines
The Security Labs also found that the percentage of phishing attempts within all email traffic dropped to 0.5 per cent in 2013 (down from 1.12 per cent in 2012). Please also find an infographic below highlighting the top five subject lines in phishing emails.
Further Comments from Carl Leonard, Senior Security Research Manager EMEA, IT security firm Websense;
“We have witnessed an evolution in phishing; from bank phishing that stole small pockets of money from lots of people, to spear phishing that targets highly valuable data and now social phishing, targeting people. By using techniques such as imitating people’s social media profiles, cybercriminals can get a foothold to perform the reconnaissance needed to target a greater gain – both data and money. While phishing can seem like a low-risk security issue, don’t be fooled. With low barriers to entry, phishing often forms the beginning of a well-constructed and highly targeted attack that can steal valuable data.”
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