Vishing Attacks Reach All Time High

Vishing (voice phishing) cases have increased almost 550 percent over the last twelve months. Vishing is a fraudulent practice of making phone calls or leaving voice messages purporting to be from reputable companies to induce individuals to reveal personal information, such as bank details and credit card numbers.

This comes from the latest Quarterly Threat Trends & Intelligence Report from Agari and Phish Labs, which are part of the HelpSystems security software group. Their research hundreds of thousands of phishing, social media, email, and dark web threats targeting a broad range of enterprises and brands In Q1 2022.

The report provides an analysis of the latest findings and insights into key trends shaping the threat landscape.  
Vishing attacks have overtaken Business Email Compromise (BEC) as the second most reported response-based email threat since Q3 2021. 

By the end of the year, more than one in four of every reported response-based threat was a vishing attack, and this makeup continued through Q1 2022. 

“Hybrid vishing campaigns continue to generate stunning numbers, representing 26.1% of total share in volume so far in 2022,” said John LaCour, Principal Strategist at HelpSystems.  “We are seeing an increase in threat actors moving away from standard voice phishing campaigns to initiating multi-stage malicious email attacks... In these campaigns, actors use a callback number within the body of the email as a lure, then rely on social engineering and impersonation to trick the victim into calling and interacting with a fake representative.”

Key Findings

  • Social media impersonation attacks are on the rise. Since Q2 2021, the volume of brand impersonations increased 339% and executive impersonations 273%. According to the findings, brands prove to be convenient targets for threat actors, especially when associated with retail counterfeit operations. However, for some unique attacks, executive accounts are preyed on to make the spoofs seem more realistic.
  • Credential theft email scams continue to be the most common email threat type reported by employees, contributing to nearly 59% of all threat types encountered. Credential theft reports increased 6.9% in volume from Q4 2021.
  • The malware landscape continues to be ever changing. Qbot was once again the payload of choice for threat actors attempting ransomware attacks, but Emotet reemerged in Q1 and was the second leading payload.
  • While nearly half of all phishing sites rely on a free tool or service for staging, Q1 2022 was the first quarter in five consecutive quarters where paid or compromised services (52%) outnumbered free solutions for the use of staging phishing sites.

As the variety of digital channels organisations use to conduct operations and communicate with consumers expands, bad actors are provided with multiple vectors to exploit their victims. Security teams should invest in partnerships that will ensure the swift and complete mitigation of attacks before they result in reputational and financial damage.

“Most attack campaigns are not built from scratch; they are based on reshaping traditional tactics and incorporating multiple platforms...  Therefore, to remain secure, it’s no longer effective for organisations to only look within the network perimeter. They must also have visibility into a variety of external channels to proactively gather intelligence and monitor for threats.' is the advice from Helpsystems. 

Phishlabs:      

You Might Also Read: 

The Big Cyber Security Threats That You Can Prepare For:
 

« Clearview Pays £7.5m For Illegally Storing Facial Images
Cyber Attacks On Ukraine Step Up The Pressure »

Infosecurity Europe
CyberSecurity Jobsite
Perimeter 81

Directory of Suppliers

ZenGRC

ZenGRC

ZenGRC (formerly Reciprocity) is a leader in the GRC SaaS landscape, offering robust and intuitive products designed to make compliance straightforward and efficient.

ManageEngine

ManageEngine

As the IT management division of Zoho Corporation, ManageEngine prioritizes flexible solutions that work for all businesses, regardless of size or budget.

XYPRO Technology

XYPRO Technology

XYPRO is the market leader in HPE Non-Stop Security, Risk Management and Compliance.

Infosecurity Europe, 3-5 June 2025, ExCel London

Infosecurity Europe, 3-5 June 2025, ExCel London

This year, Infosecurity Europe marks 30 years of bringing the global cybersecurity community together to further our joint mission of Building a Safer Cyber World.

Jooble

Jooble

Jooble is a job search aggregator operating in 71 countries worldwide. We simplify the job search process by displaying active job ads from major job boards and career sites across the internet.

SecDev

SecDev

SecDev is a consulting firm working at the intersection of geopolitical, digital, urban, energy and cyber risk.

Willis Towers Watson

Willis Towers Watson

Willis Towers Watson is a global risk management, insurance brokerage and advisory company. Services offered include Cyber Risks insurance.

Konfidas

Konfidas

Konfidas provide high-level cybersecurity consulting and professional tailored solutions to meet specific cybersecurity operational needs.

KPN Security

KPN Security

KPN Security is the largest and most complete provider of IT security services in the Netherlands.

REVI-IT

REVI-IT

REVI-IT is a Danish state-owned audit firm focusing on enterprise IT business processes and compliance,

ClickDatos

ClickDatos

ClickDatos specializes in consulting, auditing, data protection training, accredited by ISO/IEC 27001 certification.

Arcanum Information Security (AIS)

Arcanum Information Security (AIS)

Arcanum Information Security is a specialist Information Assurance Consultancy and a leading provider of Cyber Security services to UK Defence, UK Government, Enterprise businesses and SMEs.

CloudAlly

CloudAlly

CloudAlly provides online cloud to cloud backup and recovery solutions, which backs up daily changes in your SaaS to unlimited Amazon S3 storage and makes it available for restore or export.

Templar Shield

Templar Shield

Templar Shield is a premier information security, risk and compliance technology professional services firm serving North America.

Flix11

Flix11

Flix11 is a Cyber Security & ICT Solutions focused company. We provide a range of products and services in Cyber Security, Internet of Things (IoT) and infrastructure solutions.

Nagios

Nagios

Nagios is a powerful tool that provides you with instant awareness of your organization’s mission-critical IT infrastructure.

Kivera

Kivera

Kivera enforces your organisation governance and security policies across cloud deployments preventing misconfigurations turning into attack vectors.

Nukke

Nukke

Nukke offers advanced cybersecurity software and tailored solutions for your business.

SSL2BUY

SSL2BUY

SSL2BUY is a leading SSL certificate provider, authorized to sell top CA brands like Comodo, DigiCert, GlobalSign, Thawte, GeoTrust and more.

Cloud & More

Cloud & More

Tired of impersonal IT support? Experience the Cloud & More difference. We offer tailored IT services with a personal touch, ensuring your business technology runs smoothly.

Slide

Slide

Slide is a modern, security-first Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery (BCDR) company built exclusively for Managed Service Providers.