PayPal Unseats Microsoft as Phishers' Favorite Brand
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PayPal Upsets Microsoft as Phishers' Favorite Brand
Several factors edged the world's most popular payment service into the top spot.
PayPal was the most frequently spoofed brand in the third quarter of 2019, unseating Microsoft, phishers' usual favorite, which held the top spot for more than a year, Vade Secure reports.
Microsoft has been the most impersonated brand for five consecutive quarters, or as long as Vade Secure has published its quarterly Phishers' Favorites report. PayPal has consistently been a popular target; however, this year saw an uptick in PayPal attacks. Unique PayPal phishing URLs spiked 167.8% and 111.9% year-over-year in the first and second quarters, respectively. This quarter saw 69.6% growth with 16,547 unique PayPal phishing URLs, or nearly 180 per day.
[...]Phishing campaigns have capitalized on PayPal's popularity. One discovered by Vade researchers targeted more than 700,000 people, primarily located in Europe, with emails threatening legal action and requesting a small amount of money from recipients.
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