Phishing Attack Frequency Rises Nearly 50% as Some Sectors Increase by as Much as 576%

Stu Sjouwerman | May 1, 2023

Phishing Attack Frequency RisesNew data provides a multi-faceted look at the changing face of phishing attacks. This data includes who’s being targeted, the tactics being used, and why phishing attacks continue to work.

If 2022 is any indication of what the remainder of this year will hold for organizations fending off cyber attacks, cybersecurity efforts are going to need a whole lot more emphasis.

According to Zscaler’s newly-released ThreatLabz 2023 Phishing Report, we get a view into the attack trends throughout 2022 that provide insight into what we should be expecting more of this year.

According to the report:

  • The number of phishing attacks rose 47% overall
  • United States and the U.K. were the top two targeted countries
  • Education, finance and government were the top three sectors, with attacks on education skyrocketing 576%
  • Microsoft, OneDrive, and Binance were the top three impersonated brands

The growth in phishing needs to be presented in context. Remember, we’ve seen growth in phishing attacks for the last number of years. So, the increased growth Zscaler highlights cumulative year over year growth. It’s why we continue to see phishing as the most common form of cyber attack. This is also why no cybersecurity defense is complete without including Security Awareness Training to leverage users to protect the organization when security solutions can’t.

Topics: Phishing

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