The Anti-Phishing Working Group has reported a decline in phishing attacks in Russia in the first quarter of 2014. The share of fraudulent IP-addresses located in Russia has fallen to 1.6 percent in the first quarter of 2014, compared to 15.3 percent in the same quarter of 2013. Phishing has clearly migrated to other geographical locations after meeting strong resistance in Russia. Currently, most attacks target the United States, Turkey and China. However, Group-IB believes this a temporary lull, and cybercriminals are getting ready to strike again soon.
CERT-GIB’s work in the first six months of 2013 and 2014 confirms that Group-IB has dealt a heavy blow to cybercriminals. Thus, in the first half of 2014, CERT-GIB experts received 52 percent fewer applications, falling from 1,537 in 2013 to the current 800. Phishing incidents have been reduced by 70 percent: 235 cases in the first half of 2013 compared to 762 in the same period in 2014. Thus, the connection between the number of applications received and the number of phishing incidents is clear.
Group-IB points out that the decline is temporary. Russia’s financial sector remains a lure for cybercriminals. The funds available in the country’s payment systems are gradually increasing. Banks are constantly improving online services, thereby attracting more users and their personal data, which hackers hunt. The company warns against losing vigilance on matters of information security. There is no doubt that cybercriminals are getting ready to strike again.
Credit for the win in this round of the fight against cybercrime goes to the joint efforts of Group-IB and the Coordination Center for TLD RU/РФ, which have taken on phishing, malware and botnet controllers.
“The Coordination Center has been paying a great deal of attention to the safety of Russian Internet users, so our cooperation with Group-IB against illegal sites, malware and phishing sites is a good way to clean up the Internet,” Andrei Kolesnikov, Director of the Coordination Center for TLD RU/РФ, said. “Fortunately, this work is paying off, and Internet users can join the effort. The decline in phishing sites means that we are on the right track. Last fall, combatting phishing was declared a top priority. I believe the only way to make progress is for everyone who cares about Internet security to work together.”
