What’s Behind the Surge in Phishing Sites? Three Theories

a link’s destination URLs. Both these phenomena make it more difficult to identify a phishing attack.

“All of sudden these mental checks that everyone was told to use to sniff out phishing attacks, like double-checking URLs, no longer hold,” says Moffitt.

3. Profitability

Let’s face it, this is the big one. The rise in popularity of shared drives makes it more likely that any single phishing success will yield troves of valuable data. Compromising a corporate Dropbox account could easily warrant a six-figure ransom, or more, given the looming threat of GDPR and CCPA compliance violations.

“A few years ago, most of the targets were financial targets like PayPal and Chase,” according to Moffitt. “But now they are tech targets–sites like Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Apple–because shared drives offer a better return on investment.”

Even for private individuals, shared drives are more bang for the buck. Credentials that can easily lead to identity theft can be sold on the dark web and, given the rampant rates of password re-use in the United States, can be cross-checked against other sites until the compromise spirals.

Finally, phishing is profitable as an initial entry point. Once a cybercriminal has accessed a business email account, for instance, he or she is able to case the joint until the most valuable next move has been determined.

“It’s a really lucrative first step,” says Moffitt.

Don’t Take the Bait

Installing up-to-date antivirus software is an essential first step in protecting yourself from phishing attacks. Features like Webroot’s Real-Time Anti-Phishing Shield can help stop these attacks before users have the chance to fall for them. Continual education is equally as important. Webroot data shows that ongoing phishing simulations can lower click-through rates significantly.

This guest blog is part of a Channel Futures sponsorship.