According to the Anti-Phishing Working Group research, for 2014 the number of phishing attacks remained high, and the Q2 of 2014 saw the second-highest number of phishing attacks ever recorded in a quarter since 2008, with 42,793 new phishing attacks per month.
The number of targets dropped slightly from Q1 2014. Year-on-year, the number of targets was down 17% from the 639 observed in Q2 2013 to the 531 seen in Q2 2014, which may indicate that there is a higher concentration of attacks on more vulnerable brands.
Attacked more frequently were online and alternate payment services such as Austria-based payments website PayLife, China-based alternate payment system Perfect Money, and Payoneer, a US-based online payments company.
Findings indicate that attacks against retail/service websites also grew, from 11.5% to 16.5% of all phishing attacks. The period under review also saw an increase in the spread of PUPs Potentially Unwanted Programs such as spyware and adware.
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