"LinkedIn And Microsoft Are The Most Impersonated Brands in Phishing Attacks"

Security researchers at Check Point Research discovered that LinkedIn and Microsoft took top spots as the most exploited brands in phishing attacks last quarter.  For the quarter, LinkedIn was seen in 45% of all phishing attempts, while Microsoft appeared in 13% of them.  Other brands that popped up included DHL in 12% of the attacks, Amazon in 9%, and Apple in 3%.  The researchers noted that Adidas, Google, Netflix, Adobe, and HSBC rounded out the top ten.  The researchers stated that LinkedIn’s share of phishing attempts dropped from 52% in the first quarter, but the job networking site was still the number one most exploited brand.  To trick LinkedIn users, attackers imitate the style of the actual company with emails that use such subject lines as “You appeared in 8 searches this week,” “You have one new message,” or “I’d like to do business with you via LinkedIn.” The researchers noted that the messages seem to come from LinkedIn but actually originate from different addresses used by the scammers.  Microsoft was seen in more than double the number of phishing attempts from the first quarter of the year.  The researchers noted that given the company’s popularity among consumers and organizations, these attacks pose a risk to a wide variety of people.  Once a scammer steals your Microsoft account credentials, they can access all the associated products and services you use, including Outlook, Teams, and SharePoint.

TechRepublic reports: "LinkedIn And Microsoft Are The Most Impersonated Brands in Phishing Attacks"