New study from US global cloud security giant Zscaler reveals over 400% increase in phishing attacks in 2021, with the retail and wholesale sectors being the most exposed. ThreatLabz Dashboard Annual Report Reveals Phishing-as-a-Service Leading Source of Attacks Targeting Critical Industries and Consumers Worldwide.
Zscaler, Inc., leader in cloud security, today releases findings from its 2022 ThreatLabz Phishing Report, which examines 12 months of global phishing data, from Zscaler's 100% Cloud security platform, in order to identify the main trends, sectors and geographic areas at risk, as well as emerging tactics. According to the Cybercrime Complaints Unit (Internet Crime Complaint Center – IC3) of the FBI, phishing attempts are the most frequently reported cyberattack. Zscaler's ThreatLabz research team analyzed data from over 200 billion daily transactions and 150 million blocked attacks per day, to identify emerging threats and track malicious actors around the world. 2022 Report Shows Dramatic 29% Growth in Phishing Attacks Compared to Previous Years, retail and wholesale players being the most affected by this sharp increase. The report also shows an emerging use of phishing-as-a-service methods., and the emergence of new attack vectors, such as SMS phishing, which is becoming one of the most widespread intrusion methods.
An engineering of malignancy
i phishing has long been one of the favored tactics of cyberattacks launched by the most technically advanced threat actors, it is becoming more and more accessible to non-technical cybercriminals, as an underground market for attack frameworks and services grows. By selling their ready-made phishing tools and services on the dark web, Cybercriminals Facilitate Large-Scale Deployment of Phishing Scams, creating the conditions for a possible increase in phishing activities in 2022. Low barriers to entry are one of the reasons why this type of attack is increasing every year. Cybercriminals rely on current events, like the Covid-19 pandemic or cryptocurrencies, to convince unwitting victims to hand over confidential data (passwords, credit card information and login credentials). ThreatLabz 2022 Phishing Report Shows Phishing Attacks Lure Victims by Impersonating Big Brands or Exploiting Current Events. In 2021, phishing has mainly developed on illegal streaming sites, shopping sites, social media platforms, even within financial institutions and logistics services.
The danger of ransomware and data theft
“Phishing attacks impact businesses and consumers with frequency, alarming complexity and scale, the rise of “phishing-as-a-service” allowing more than ever unsuspecting actors to launch successful attacks. Our annual report highlights how cybercriminals continue to intensify their use of phishing as a starting point to break into organizations to deliver ransomware or steal sensitive data,” says Deepen Desai, CISO and VP of Security Research and Operations at Zscaler. “To defend against advanced phishing attacks, enterprises must rely on a multi-pronged defensive strategy anchored on a cloud-native Zero Trust platform* that unifies comprehensive SSL inspection with AI/ML-powered detection**. This strategy helps stop the most sophisticated phishing attempts and kits, lateral movement prevention and built-in deception to limit the blast radius of a compromised user, but also proactive controls to block high-risk destinations such as newly registered domains which are often misused by threat actors, and online DLP*** to protect against data theft. »
A global problem
In 2021, the United States was the most targeted country globally, accounting for over 60% of all phishing attacks blocked by Zscaler's 100% cloud security platform. Next comes Singapore, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Not all countries have received the same attention from phishers. for example, the Netherlands saw a 38% drop in attacks, perhaps due to the recent adoption of legislation strengthening penalties for online fraud. Phishing attacks have also not targeted all sectors with the same intensity.. Retail and wholesale companies saw over 400% increase in phishing attempts, is the most important, all sectors combined. We then find the financial and public sectors, who experienced on average an increase in attacks of more than 100%. However, some sectors were partially spared from phishing attacks last year. The health sector thus experienced a notable drop of 59%., while services recorded a decline of 33%.
Counter phishing attacks
According to Zscaler’s ThreatLabz research team, a mid-sized organization receives dozens of phishing emails every day. This means that employees, at all levels, must be familiar with the most common phishing tactics and have been trained to spot phishing attempts that could result in financial losses and damage their company's image. If it is impossible to eradicate the risk of phishing, effective management can prevent business-critical information from falling into the hands of cybercriminals. Zscaler recommends the following tactics in particular to counter the development of phishing :
– Identify and understand the risks posed by phishing to better inform political and technological decisions
– Leverage automated tools and actionable information to give employees the tools needed to reduce phishing incidents.
– Ensure timely training of employees, to raise security awareness and promote user reporting.
– Simulate phishing attacks to identify vulnerabilities in security policies and procedures.
– Evaluate security infrastructures to ensure access to the latest research and system capabilities.
METHODOLOGY
The ThreatLabz team analyzed data from the Zscaler Security Cloud. ThreatLabz analyzed a year of global phishing data from the Zscaler Cloud, from January 2021 to December 2021, in order to identify the main trends, sectors and geographic areas at risk, as well as emerging tactics. The document can be viewed in its entirety by clicking on this link : ThreatLabz 2022 Phishing Report
* Zero Trust : concept of non-perimetric architecture dedicated to securing access to data, resources and services.
** IA/ML : Intelligence artificielle/machine learning.
*** DLP : Data Loss Prevention : data loss prevention.
