It’s Official: COVID-related Phishing is Dead as Scammers Return to Impersonating Famous Brands



COVID-related Phishing is DeadNew analysis of spam and malicious emails show the all but nonexistence of COVID-esque impersonation of government and pharm entities in lieu of international brands.

It just makes sense; if you’re in the business of getting people’s attention via email, you use whatever theming is going to evoke the greatest emotion on the part of the recipient to increase your chances of them clicking on your malicious content. In previous years, it was obvious that COVID-related messages – particularly those about assistance from the government in various fashions – was the way to go.

But just-released data from Bitdefender shows from May to October this year, phishing attacks have shifted to impersonate international brands, with Amazon as the overwhelming leader by nearly a margin of two to one:

3-amz-dhl-oct

Source: Bitdefender

And it just makes sense, as in October, the world was beginning to place its focus looking towards the holiday season, where obtaining products from Amazon and (internationally) shipping via DHL are much more prevalent and elevated in importance to the consumer. I can only imagine what this same chart will look like for this December when it comes out.

And while the retail industry is well aware that they are the target this year of plenty of credential harvesting scams, corporate users need to be aware of the possibility that they will be the next target of a scam intent on stealing their Microsoft 365 credentials, or infecting their work computer as part of an initial access scam. The needed level of vigilance can only come through continual Security Awareness Training that reinforces the need to always be on guard – especially during the holidays.


Free Phishing Security Test

Would your users fall for convincing phishing attacks? Take the first step now and find out before bad actors do. Plus, see how you stack up against your peers with phishing Industry Benchmarks. The Phish-prone percentage is usually higher than you expect and is great ammo to get budget.

PST ResultsHere's how it works:

  • Immediately start your test for up to 100 users (no need to talk to anyone)
  • Select from 20+ languages and customize the phishing test template based on your environment
  • Choose the landing page your users see after they click
  • Show users which red flags they missed, or a 404 page
  • Get a PDF emailed to you in 24 hours with your Phish-prone % and charts to share with management
  • See how your organization compares to others in your industry

Go Phishing Now!

PS: Don't like to click on redirected buttons? Cut & Paste this link in your browser:

https://www.knowbe4.com/phishing-security-test-offer

Topics: Phishing



Subscribe to Our Blog


Comprehensive Anti-Phishing Guide




Get the latest about social engineering

Subscribe to CyberheistNews