internet security tHreAt rePOrt GOVernMent 2013

p. 131
Symantec Corporation
Internet Security Threat Report 2013 :: Volume 18
SPAM AND FRAUD ACTIVITy TRENDS
Commentary
• Overall for 2012, 1 in 414.3 emails was identified and
blocked as a phishing attack, compared with 1 in 298.9 in
2011; an decrease of 0.09 percentage points.
• 67.3 percent of phishing attacks in 2012 related to spoofed
financial organizations, compared with 85.2 percent in
2011.
• Phishing attacks on organizations in the Information
Services sector accounted for 27.2 percent of phishing
attacks in 2012.
• Phishing URLs spoofing banks attempt to steal a wide
variety of information that can be used for identity theft
and fraud. Attackers seek information such as names,
government-issued identification numbers, bank account
information, and credit card numbers. Cybercriminals are
more focused on stealing financial information that can
make them large amounts of money quickly versus goods
that require a larger time investment, such as scams.
• Phishing schemes continued to use major events to entice
recipients:
One scam featured references to increased numbers
of Syrian refuges in southern Turkey as a result of the
ongoing struggle in Syria, stating, “But you must assure
me that you will use at least 50 percent of my wealth
to help the Syrian refugees in Turkey. Turkish Disaster
Management Agency (AFAD) said that the Syrian refugees
in southern Turkey has risen to 101, 834. You must promise
me that you will use 50 percent of my wealth to help the
Syria people that are suffering in Turkey.”
The Syrian conflict again featured in scams such as, “I am
Sgt Douglas Miller Owen, a U.S Army being deployed from
Afghanistan to Damascus, Syria on a 6 month mission
before i finally return back home […] Out of the total fund
my share was $12,000,000 (Twelve Million US Dollars)”
The Libyan revolution and Arab Spring continued to be
referenced in scams during 2012, including, “My name is
Aisha daughter of Shukri Ghanem. We fled from Libya last
year following the uprising against Col Muammar Gaddafi.
[...] My father’s death is no longer news but my mother’s
deteriorating health made me want to do this despite the
fact that I barely know you.”
• 53.7 percent of phishing attacks were conducted through
the use of phishing toolkits.