Transport Companies Have Been the Most Targeted by 'Identity Theft' Attacks

According to a study conducted by Hornetsecurity, the sector that has suffered the most "identity theft" attacks during 2024 has been transportation, with DHL and FedEx leading the way. Identity theft (phishing) continues to be one of the most used methods by cybercriminals. In fact, according to the study, there are currently 361 sophisticated phishing attacks per minute worldwide, accounting for 33.3% of all attacks.

In the case of DHL, although it remains the most impersonated brand, it has experienced a radical change, and in 2024 the number of impersonation attempts was only a small fraction of those recorded in 2023.

Other brands that have seen an increase in this type of impersonation attack in 2024, compared to the same period in 2023, have been Docusign, Mastercard, and Netflix. On the other hand, although Amazon has also suffered attacks, their number has been reduced by almost half this past year.

"Brand impersonation was one of the most used attack techniques in emails during 2024, affecting both individuals and companies. Transportation brands are so attractive to strikers because they fit perfectly into social engineering attacks, such as phishing and smishing," says Daniel Hofmann, CEO of Hornetsecurity.

The study was conducted by Hornetsecurity's Security Lab, which reviewed more than 55.6 trillion emails processed through Hornetsecurity's security services during the report period, from November 1, 2023, to October 31, 2024. All data can be found in the full study, the Annual Cybersecurity Report, including forecasts for 2025.