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The MarkMonitor Fraud Intelligence Report for the second quarter of 2012 is now available. According to the report, Phish attack volume rose 7% from the previous quarter to 177,369 attacks. A four-quarter rising trend has resulted in an 82% increase from Q2 2011.

Quarterly Trend of Phish Attacks – Q2 2011 to Q2 2012

Other findings reported:

Growth in Targeted Brands Continues – The number of targeted brands increased 2% from the first quarter to 601. This extends a growth trend over three quarters.

Attacks per Brand Also Continued to Grow Over the Last Four Quarters – Attacks per brand volume grew 4% from Q1 2012 to 295. A rising trend over four quarters has resulted in a 51% increase from Q2 2011.

Payment Services Gaining on Financial Sector as Most Popular Phishing Sector – The Financial sector continued to be the most phished industry, accounting for 34% of phish attacks, but the Payment Services sector came in a close second with 32% of attacks. Payment Services phish continued its sharp rise from Q4 2011, growing 59% in Q2 2012 to 56,937 attacks, 138% above its level a year earlier.

ISP and Government Phish on the Rise – ISP phish continued a four quarter growth trend, increasing 24% in Q2 2012 to 10,315 attacks for year-over-year growth of 470%. Government sector phish continued its growth from Q4 2011, increasing 43% from the previous quarter to 3,210 attacks and was 77% above its level from a year ago.

Brands from Five Countries are Targeted by Almost 90% of Phish Attacks – The top five targeted brand countries in Q2 2012 were the U.S., China, the U.K., Brazil and Italy, which together accounted for 89% of phishing attacks. Phishing attacks targeting American brands continued to increase their share, growing to 66% from 59% in the previous quarter, while attacks targeting Chinese brands continued to decrease their share, declining to 8% from 13%.

Five Countries Host Almost 70% of Phishing Attacks – The top five phish-hosting countries — the U.S., Germany, the U.K., Canada and Brazil — accounted for 69% of phishing sites this quarter.

For more detail, download the report here:
MarkMonitor Fraud Intelligence Report, Q2 2012

About MarkMonitor

MarkMonitor®, the world leader in enterprise brand protection and a Thomson Reuters Intellectual Property & Science business, uses a SaaS delivery model to provide advanced technology and expertise that protects the revenues and reputations of the world's leading brands. (Learn More)

Related topics: Cyberattack, Cybercrime, Security