More phish

2009-10-01

Helen Martin

Virus Bulletin, UK

Editor: Helen Martin

Abstract

Recent reports show phishing still on the rise.

Phishing attacks are still on the rise according to two recent reports. A study by brand protection firm MarkMonitor indicated that phishing attacks reached a new high in the second quarter of 2009, with more than 151,000 unique attacks, while the average number of phishing attacks per organization also increased to record levels, with an average of 351 attacks per organization.

Meanwhile, the Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) released its latest report last month, showing that the volume of phishing threats reported in May this year was around 7% higher than last year’s high. The report also showed that online payment services such as PayPal became the most targeted industry sector – knocking financial services from the top spot for the first time since the APWG began its studies. Much as expected, the US was recorded as the country hosting the largest number of phishing sites with the exception of June 2009, when Sweden overtook the US.

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