India ranks among the fourth most targeted country in phishing attacks, receiving 3 per cent of the total attack volume. The country’s losses during the third quarter amounted to $52.9 million, according to a study by RSA, the security division of NYSE-listed EMC.
The US remained at the top of the charts, targeted with 53 per cent of the total phishing volume during the period under review. The other countries targeted were Germany (17 per cent), the UK (8 per cent) and South Africa (3 per cent), the study said.
Phishing is the process of acquiring information such as user names, passwords and credit card details by sending e-mails that are disguised as official mails. These mails are sent from bogus mails IDs created in names of banks, financial institutions and others.
Among the top countries by attacked brands’, India ranked third with 7 per cent of the total phishing volume worldwide. The US, with 27 per cent and the UK with 12 per cent, topped the chart. RSA identified 46,119 phishing attacks in September globally with a 36 per cent increase as compared with August (33,861). Phishing attacks in September were highest in this quarter, with July in second place with 45,232 attacks.
The top countries to host phishing attacks include US (42 per cent), Canada (9 per cent) Germany (5 per cent) and the UK (4 per cent).