Phishing Knows No Limits

Phishing – the act of luring unsuspecting people to provide sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card data via seemingly trustworthy electronic communications – is a serious threat for both consumers and businesses. In the decade since phishing arrived on the scene, this fraud method has been growing rapidly, with one estimate citing approximately 8 million daily phishing attempts worldwide.

 In 2011, one in every 300 emails transmitted over the Web was related to phishing.

The Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) reported at least 112,472 unique phishing attacks globally in the first half of 2011 in 200 top-level domains. Although representing a much larger number than the 42,624 attacks that the APWG observed in the second half of 2010, it was somewhat less than the record 126,697 observed in the second half of 2009, when the Avalanche botnet was on the loose . Still, 79,753 unique domain names were used in these attacks – the highest number since 2007.

 he Avalanche botnet was on the loose . Still, 79,753 unique domain names were used in these attacks – the highest number since 2007.