Brands Face Threat From Impostors In Cyber Attacks

Proofpoint's report reveals a common online threat to consumers is the practice of phishing. According to Proofpoint, the most abused brand last year was Microsoft, with over 30 million messages using the software giant's name or product, such as Office or OneDrive, in a cyber attack.

"Notably, 44% of working adults in our survey said they think an email is safe when it contains familiar branding," according to Proofpoint, "and Microsoft isn't the only brand experiencing regular abuse, with Amazon, DocuSign, Google, DHL and Adobe all regularly impersonated."