GFI Software survey: Czech companies face a wave of fake emails

Email protection remains one of the top priorities for local IT security providers this year as well, as most malicious content arrives via emails  

PRAGUE, January 30, 2023 – GFI Software, a provider of security solutions for enterprise networks, stated that according to its survey conducted among partners in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, email is currently the main attack vector, primarily due to the prevalence of phishing and fake emails. The survey was conducted in February 2022 among resellers of ZEBRA SYSTEMS, the exclusive distributor of GFI Software solutions in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Southeastern Europe.

Three quarters of respondents, who supply security solutions primarily to the small and medium-sized business (SMB) segment, cite email as the vector most commonly used by cyber attackers. Among the most dangerous are not only phishing emails attempting to obtain sensitive data from users, but especially emails with fake invoices, reminders or delivery notifications. These can both introduce malware into a company and, through spoofed messages (known as BEC – Business E-mail Compromise), cause direct financial losses, for example by paying invoices to bank accounts set up by hackers.

The most interesting survey statistics include:

• 76% of respondents stated that email is currently the main attack vector, while 10% identified software vulnerabilities as the riskiest vector and 8% cited the compromise or theft of login credentials
• The greatest threats within email are phishing emails (35% of respondents), fake BEC emails (30%) and emails with malicious URL links (28%).
• The customers of the surveyed IT providers most frequently receive information about fake deliveries by email (44%), requests to enter login credentials (26%) and fake invoices (16%)
• For 41% of respondents, email protection will be one of the key security measures for 2023.

 

“Many surveys show that phishing emails pose a significant risk, but it is clear that spoofed emails or mail containing malware must not be underestimated either,” said Marie Baranová, sales manager for GFI Software solutions in the Czech Republic and Slovakia at ZEBRA SYSTEMS. “As always, the best measure is multilayered protection, meaning that in addition to protecting endpoint devices with multi-factor authentication, there should also be antivirus, anti-phishing and anti-spam protection at the mail server level.”