Heaptalk, Jakarta — Kaspersky recorded 709,590,011 attempts to access phishing and fraud websites in 2023, a 40% increase over the previous year.
Despite a significant spike in May and June, the number of attacks has continued to increase throughout the year. Based on Kaspersky’s annual analysis, this trend may be related to the start of the holiday season, during which fraudsters usually spread travel-related scams, such as fake plane tickets, tours, and tempting hotel deals.
Widespread integration of technology featuring built-in GPT chat has provided new opportunities for fraudsters. However, the attackers did not abandon their old tactics. Event launches and premieres of hit films, such as Barbie and Wonka, remain attractive to phishers and fraudsters, whose fake websites ensnare users who want to access popular films ahead of schedule or at a discount.
According to a security expert at Kaspersky Olga Svistunova, phishing remains a common threat in today’s digital landscape, continually evolving to deceive unsuspecting users. “Vigilance and skepticism are our strongest defenses against falling victim to these dangerous schemes. Remain cautious, verify before you click, and protect your digital identity,” Svistunova said.
Spreading through messaging platforms
Additionally, Kaspersky experts have observed a spike in attacks spreading through messaging platforms. The company’s tool thwarted 62,127 phishing and fraudulent link attempts on Telegram, a significant increase in similar threats of 22% compared to last year.
As in previous years, most messenger redirect attempts via phishing and fake links were blocked by Kaspersky’s tool on devices belonging to users in Russia. Brazil retained second place, doubling the number of blocked phishing attacks, followed by Turkey, India, Germany, and Italy, which also saw an increase in Telegram-based phishing activity. This time, users from Mexico occupy the seventh position, displacing Saudi Arabia from the top seven.
Further, Kaspersky advises users to only open emails and click links from trusted senders to avoid phishing-based fraud. If the sender is legitimate but the content of the message seems strange, it is best to ask the sender via alternative means of communication. Additionally, check the spelling of the website URL if phishing is suspected. If so, the URL may contain errors that are difficult to spot at first glance, for instance, figure 1 instead of I or 0 instead of O.
