CircleID

The MarkMonitor Fraud Intelligence Report for the first quarter of 2011 is now available. The findings are:

Phishing Attacks Reversed Decline – Phish attack volume increased 17% from the previous quarter to 99,800 attacks.

Organizations Targeted Continued Growth Trend – The number of targeted organizations increased 11% from the fourth quarter of 2010, to 511.

Attacks per Organization Increased Slightly – Attacks per organization increased 6% from Q4 2010 to 195.

Financial Sector Continued as Most Popular Phishing Sector – The Financial sector accounted for 47% of phish attacks in the first quarter of 2011, while the Payment Services sector accounted for 27%.

The Financial sector accounted for 47% of phish attacks in the first quarter of 2011, while the Payment Services sector accounted for 27%. The online Gaming sector attracted 7% of total phish. Other significant sectors include Auctions and Social Networking, each with around 5% of total phish.

Gaming, Auction and Social Networking Sectors Reversed Previous Declines – Auction sector phish increased 47% quarter-over-quarter to 5,414 attacks. Gaming sector phish increased 60% from the previous quarter to 6,834 attacks. Social Networking sector phish increased 40% from the previous quarter to 4,768 attacks.

Phishing Attacks Targeting Spanish Brands Doubled – Attacks targeting Spanish brands grew 127% from the previous quarter. However, North American brands continued to attract the lion's share of attacks, accounting for 74% of phishing attacks in the first quarter. Western European brands accounted for 18% of phish.

Phishing Attacks Hosted in the UK and Russia Showed Substantial Growth – In the first quarter, phish hosted in the UK grew 63% and Russian-hosted phish grew 93%. As with targeted brands, however, North America hosted the majority of phishing attacks, with 61% of total attacks in the first quarter. Western Europe followed, hosting 19% of phishing attacks in the same period.

The full report available for download here: MarkMonitor Fraud Intelligence Report, Q1 2011

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: Cyberattack, Cybercrime, Security