There have been nearly 33,000 phishing attacks globally each month this year, totaling a loss of $687 million, according to new statistics released by security firm RSA earlier this week.
Those phishing attack numbers, 32,581 attacks per month on average, mark a 19 percent increase globally compared to the first half of 2011.
Also of note is the dramatic 400 percent increase in attacks on Canada, a jump the firm attributes to the country’s exchange rate gap—which is beginning to parallel the U.S. dollar, making it a more attractive target for attackers. Consistent with its numbers, in RSA’s monthly look at fraud and phishing scams two weeks ago, the firm claimed it blocked around 200,000 phishing attacks throughout the first half of 2012. While 60 percent of those attacks were launched from U.S. servers, the U.S. only received only 26 percent of the global volume when it came to attacks, second to the U.K. who took the brunt of attacks so far in 2012 at 46 percent.
For more on the phishing report, head to RSA’s Speaking of Security blog or the interactive map that accompanies it.
