Security Awareness – Third Quarter of 2022 Saw the Most Phishing Attacks Ever Observed

Phishing attacks during the third quarter of this year were their highest number ever observed, according to a new report from the Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG). The report, Phishing Activity Trends Report 3rd Quarter 2022, detected 1,270,883 total phishing attacks.

Over the years, reported phishing attacks submitted to APWG have more than quintupled since the first quarter of 2020, when APWG observed 230,554 attacks. In August alone there were 430,141 attacks, which is the highest monthly total ever reported to APWG. The rise in phishing attacks, according to APWG, is likely “attributable in part to increasing numbers of attacks reported against several specific targets. These targets suffered from large numbers of attacks from persistent phishers.” The most targeted sectors included financial institutions and webmail and software-as-a-service (SaaS) providers. In addition, Business E-Mail Compromise (BEC) attacks remain a persistent threat. The report found that the number of wire transfer BEC attacks in Q3 increased by 59 percent compared to the previous quarter. Read more at HelpNetSecurity or read the full report at APWG here.