Criminals are pretending to be Microsoft, Google, and Apple in phishing attacks

• Phishing attacks are more common than ever
• New research shows Microsoft impersonators are targeting users
• These aim to steal credentials and information from victims

Phishing attacks top the tables for most popular intrusion points for cybercriminals over and over again, and new research from Check Point reveals the most commonly imitated firms for the first quarter of 2025. Criminals impersonating Microsoft were by far the most common, making up 36% of observed brand related social engineering attacks in the study.

Following behind are Google and Apple, making up 12% and 8% respectively - meaning that over half of all incidents (56%) come from a false address associated with one of those three brands.

A notable change though, is in a rise of Mastercard impersonations - with a campaign of fraudulent websites discovered, primarily aimed at Japanese users, and attempting to steal sensitive financial information from victims using a fake website and prompting users to enter their card numbers and CVVs.

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Unsurprisingly, the research shows that technology is the most impersonated sector for attacks in Q1 of 20225 - most likely because more and more people use the services, and because criminals can prompt users to enter credentials with ‘password reset’ scams, or can lure victims onto a malicious site, especially given the trust awarded to these services.

This isn’t the first time researchers have identified Microsoft as the most commonly imitated company in phishing scams, and the best way to stay safe against phishing is to be hyper vigilant - double checking any email address for discrepancies, and never clicking a link from an unverified source.

“As we progress through 2025, organizations and users alike must stay alert to the evolving threat of phishing attacks,” says Check Point.

“The most frequently targeted brands are not just household names — they are gateways to sensitive personal and financial information. Cyber security awareness, combined with robust protection strategies like multi-factor authentication (MFA), can help minimize the risk of falling victim to these increasingly sophisticated scams.”

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