Phishing: One of many reasons we can’t trust people both too young and too old to safely wander the internet all on their own. A concept first coined back in 1996, phishing is alive and well as we look back on the miserable first half of 2020.
For those wondering why we’re having so much trouble spelling such a common word, we’re not: Phishing (pronounced “fishing”) is a term used to describe the process of attempting to acquire usernames, passwords, and/or credit card info through deceptive measures. This requires devious individuals to disguise themselves as entities you would otherwise trust with such information. (Kind of like luring fish by disguising your hook with bait. Or so they say — I’ve never actually been fishing.)
Phishing exists, and often thrives, for two reasons. The first, as evidenced by Thomas Hobbes’ “Leviathan”: people are evil. The second, as evidenced by Thomas Anderson’s MySpace: people can, sometimes, be kind of foolish.
Phishers, naturally, go after the biggest fish available. That is, consumers of the largest, most popular brands on the planet. A report published by software company Check Point highlights the top 10 brands that were utilized for phishing purposes for Q2 2020.
And given all that’s happened over the last couple of months, the list makes total sense.
1. Google
Phishing’s new king, Google makes a jump up in the rankings. This, likely thanks in large part to our need for work-from-home solutions to this pandemic. Thanks, Google, for providing such helpful tools in our time of need, even if it means we’ll be targeted for using said tools.
2. Amazon
No surprises here. Amazon was already thriving even when we had the chance to leave our homes to buy daily necessities. But lock us inside and tell us we need to be stocked up on various goods to potentially survive a two-week quarantine period? Re-upping the Prime membership suddenly feels like a no-brainer.
3. WhatsApp
We are social beings by nature. Regular gatherings with friends and family have since been replaced by group texts and weekly video calls. WhatsApp fills that void while simultaneously sparing the iPhone faithful from the dreaded green bubble by offering quality instant messaging, as well as audio and video calling. All this without impacting anything but your phone’s data plan.
4. Facebook
Because where else can you go to find vital news headlines, feel-good videos of puppies being rescued off the streets, and the latest COVID-19 conspiracy theories that force you to momentarily question the very reality that surrounds you? Nowhere, that’s where.
5. Microsoft
Microsoft did everything in its power to ensure its presence would be felt during this quarantine, most notably through its vast improvements to Microsoft Teams. Now serving as one of several go-to's for collaborative business communications, Microsoft Teams has also partnered with the NBA to bring fans into the virtual stands of its bubble league via Together Mode.
Just look at all those people waiting to be phished.
6. Outlook
Working from home means you’ll need different ways of communicating with your colleagues on a regular basis. Working from home for a company that doesn’t care about your sanity means you’ll probably be doing that communicating exclusively via email (like Microsoft Outlook).
7. Netflix
Where unrealistic quarantine fitness goals go to die. You’ve got loads of free time on your hands right now, and what better way to spend it than doing some pushups rewatching “Breaking Bad” for the 42nd time?
RECENT POSTS
8. Apple
The longstanding No. 1 on this list, Apple drops several spots out of first place, but remains one of the most targeted companies on the planet. And with good reason. Between the iPhone, iPad, Macbook, iMac, Apple TV, Apple Music, Apple Watch, HomePod, and AirPods, Apple has done its part to make sure just about everybody on the planet is a potential target for phishing. An Apple Mask is likely all that separates Apple from the top spot on this list.
9. Huawei
Surprising to just about everybody except for Huawei execs, this Chinese multinational tech company is actually the world’s leading smartphone manufacturer — and that’s despite being banned in one of the largest markets in the world. Huawei received the TikTok treatment long before the Gen Z social media platform was on President Donald Trump’s desk, but remains No. 1 atop Samsung and Apple.
10. PayPal
Sometimes Amazon doesn’t have what you’re looking for, and you have to venture off into the Wild West that is eBay. PayPal is there to save the day.
If you’re looking for ways to avoid phishing scams, here’s what the Federal Trade Commission has to say:
Make the most of security software (and keep it up to date)
Keep your mobile phone up to date
Don’t sleep on multi-factor authentication
Back up your data