Cyber shocker: Banks attacked by 1 in 5 phishing threats between May 2012 and April 2013

Banks are attacked at least once a year.

According to data from the cloud-based Kaspersky Security Network by Kaspersky Lab, every fifth phishing attack registered between May 2012 and late April 2013 targeted users of banks and other financial organizations.

The research shows that 20.64% of all phishing threats registered between May 2012 and April 2013 were aimed at accounts of banks and other financial organizations worldwide.

The data received from Kaspersky Security Network is indirectly confirmed by the banks: according to the results of a global survey conducted in spring 2013 by B2B International and Kaspersky Lab, about 37% of all banks surveyed were affected by phishing attacks at least once over the previous 12 months.

It's no surprise that banking and e-commerce has attracted unwanted criminal attention: even a successful attack on search pages, social networks, or email can only yield personal data. To turn a profit, cybercriminals must find buyers for this information. However, successfully using fake online banking or shopping pages leads directly to earnings for the scammers.

But despite the widespread dangers of phishing attacks, simply installing a security product with the necessary functionality to protect financial operations will protect even the most inexperienced users when conducting transactions online.