The latest data from the Anti-Phishing Working Group (AWPG) shows massive gains in phishing attacks in Q4 of last year, quantifying the growth and setting the expectation of what’s to come in 2021.
It’s something we’ve felt throughout 2020 but now can point to empirical data to prove: phishing is only becoming a bigger problem. While some can place the blame on COVID-19, the reality is COVID only gave the bad guys some really great opportunities to grow their “business”, evolve their strategies, and thrive.
According to APWG’s Phishing Activity Trends Report, 4th Quarter 2020, the 4th quarter of 2020 and 2020 in total paint a very good picture for the bad guys and a bleak one for anyone who stands in their way:
- Phishing sites doubled in 2020 to over 225,000
- Unique phishing email campaigns tripled in 2020
- The number of brands targeted in phishing attacks rose by 60% in 2020
Phishing is going to remain a large problem for organizations for the foreseeable future.
Organizations need to prepare for this massive rise in attacks by educating users with Security Awareness Training. This training helps users understand how phishing attacks work, the types of social engineering tactics that are used, what kinds of actions the bad guys need users to take, and how to avoid becoming an unwitting participant in a phishing attack.
From the looks of things, phishing is only going to get worse before it gets better. Now is the time to prepare.
