What are the top headlines in Phishing Emails?
Massive Increase In Phishing Attempts Seen Nationwide
According to the FBI, phishing was the most common type of cybercrime in 2020—and phishing incidents nearly doubled in frequency, from 114,702 incidents in 2019 to 241,324 incidents in 2020.
The FBI said there were more than 11 times as many phishing complaints in 2020 compared to 2016.
75% of organizations around the world experienced a phishing attack in 2020. Another 35% experienced spear phishing, and 65% faced BEC attacks.
But, there’s a difference between an attempt and a successful attack. 74% of organizations in the United States experienced a successful phishing attack. This is 30% higher than the global average and 14% higher than last year.
The most common subject lines
The top five subject lines for business email compromise attacks:
Urgent
Request
Important
Payment
Attention
Analysis of real-world phishing emails revealed these to be the most common subject lines in Q4, 2020:
IT: Annual Asset Inventory
Changes to your health benefits
Twitter: Security alert: new or unusual Twitter login
Amazon: Action Required | Your Amazon Prime Membership has been declined
Zoom: Scheduled Meeting Error
Google Pay: Payment sent
Stimulus Cancellation Request Approved
Microsoft 365: Action needed: update the address for your Xbox Game Pass for Console subscription
RingCentral is coming!
Workday: Reminder: Important Security Upgrade Required
