McAfee reported in an online release that its Avert Labs researchers discovered that the number of phishing Web sites increased by 784% in the first half of 2007.
Popular sites also are increasingly victimized, according to the Blascovich report. For example, in December 2006, cybercriminals targeted the MySpace site and used a worm to convert legitimate links to one that lured consumers to a phishing site designed specifically to steal personal information.
"Along with the alarming increase in phishing e-mails, we are also seeing more sophisticated messages that can fool all but the most highly trained surfer," said David Marcus, security research and communications manager at McAfee Avert Labs, in a written statement. "While earlier phishing e-mails often included typos, awkward language, and minor graphical mistakes, newer scams appear to be more legitimate, with slicker graphics and copy that closely mirrors the language used by respected institutions."
But scammers aren't just going with feigning familiarity. Some are trying a different tactic -- fear.
Subject lines like "Urgent Security Notification" and "Your billing account records are out of date," make people worry that if they don't respond, they'll get into financial trouble. Other lures, like "Must Complete and Submit" or "You Are Missing Out," are less blatant but similarly trick users into thinking that without taking action, they're going to lose out, the report added.
By combining resources and expertise, the AI-Enabled ICT Workforce Consortium will offer a blueprint for how industries can adapt to an AI-dominated future.
IT leaders should heed the guidance of cybersecurity insurance providers who think businesses should prioritize security education, incident preparedness, regular internal audits, and ongoing vulnerability scanning and patching.
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