CircleID

The MarkMonitor fourth quarter 2010 Fraud Intelligence Report is now available. The headline findings are:

Phishing Attacks Continue to Decline, Decreasing a Fifth – Phish attack volume declined 19% from the previous quarter to 85,494 attacks.

The Number of Organizations Targeted Shows Little Change – The number of targeted organizations declined 1% from the third quarter to 462.

Attacks per Organization Continue to Decline – Attacks per organization declined 18% from Q3 2010 to 185.

Financial Sector Extends Lead as Most Popular Phishing Sector – The Financial sector accounted for 55% of phish attacks in the fourth quarter of 2010, while the Payment Services sector accounted for 25%.

Phishing Drops Off in Classifieds Sector – Phish targeting the Classifieds sector declined 90% from the previous quarter to 1,350 attacks. It appears that what was emerging as a major new phishing sector is returning to a historically lower level of activity.

Phishing Attacks Targeting South African Brands Grow – Attacks targeting South African brands grew 68% from the previous quarter. However, North American brands continued to attract the lion's share of attacks, accounting for 76% of phishing attacks in the fourth quarter. Western European brands accounted for 14% of phish.

Phishing Attacks Hosted in the Netherlands and Malaysia Grow – In the fourth quarter, phish hosted in the Netherlands grew almost 250% and phish hosted in Malaysia grew over 230%. As with targeted brands, however, North America hosts the majority of phishing attacks, with 58% of total attacks in the fourth quarter. Western Europe followed, hosting 21% of phishing attacks in the same period.

For more detail, download the report here: MarkMonitor Fraud Intelligence Report, Q4 2010

About MarkMonitor

MarkMonitor, the global leader in enterprise brand protection, offers comprehensive solutions and services that safeguard brands, reputations and revenue from online risks. With end-to-end solutions that address the growing threats of online fraud, brand abuse and unauthorized channels, MarkMonitor enables a secure Internet for businesses and their customers. (Learn More)

Related topics: Cybercrime, Law, Security