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A new report from Zscaler sheds light on a rising number of phishing attacks and the huge surge in attacks aimed at and hosted by Australia.
Cloud security specialist Zscaler has released its Zscaler ThreatLabz 2024 Phishing Report, and there are some alarming statistics concerning the rise of phishing attacks in Australia.
According to the statistics, Australia is the tenth-most targeted nation in the world when it comes to phishing.
However, Australia ranks second in the Asia-Pacific and Japan region, with 29,427,987 attacks, behind only India. In fact, over 12 per cent of all attacks in the region target Australians or Australian entities, but it’s not just incoming attacks that are on the up.
Phishing attacks that originate in Australia have skyrocketed, with a 479.3 per cent surge in attacks hosted on Australian shores – probably not the made-in-Australia future that the Labor government has been envisaging.
The most targeted sector in Australia is manufacturing, which was the target of 5,984,195 attacks in 2023. Services followed in second, with 5,776,337.
As to what brands phishing attacks pretend to originate from, ANZ ranks as the 11th-most imitated brand. Microsoft, however, is far away the most impersonated, with 43 per cent of attacks purporting to come from the company.
At the heart of many of the attacks is AI-generated content, contributing in part to a 60 per cent increase in phishing attacks globally.
“The potential of AI is reshaping the cyber threat landscape and redefining what is possible in the world of cyber attacks, particularly phishing scams. The findings show 29,427,987 attempts of phishing in Australia alone, emphasising the widespread threat posed by this type of attack,” Eric Swift, area vice president for ANZ at Zscaler, said in a statement.
“Phishing remains a persistent threat, and with the emergence of new technologies, it is crucial organisations understand the best practices to protect against phishing threats. The findings show a proactive zero trust approach with advanced AI-powered capabilities is imperative to address evolving threats.”
You can read the full report here.
David Hollingworth has been writing about technology for over 20 years, and has worked for a range of print and online titles in his career. He is enjoying getting to grips with cyber security, especially when it lets him talk about Lego.
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