No one is immune and cybercriminals will always find a subterfuge to enrich themselves at your expense.
Phishing, account hacking and fake remote IT support, not forgetting the vishing of fake bank advisors... In its annual reference report on the threat published this Tuesday, the victim assistance platform Cybermalveillance.gouv. fr makes a rich inventory of the techniques and scams carried out by major cybercrime.
An analysis based on the 282,256 requests for assistance and on the consultation of advice sheets on the platform in 2023. Use of this online expertise up slightly while site attendance — 3.72 million visitors — flexes a little.
“Usage on the platform is stagnating and the threat remains high, but in 2023 there have been no major phenomena such as massive thefts of health data or phishing campaigns such as the false summons of the gendarmes,” notes Jérôme Notin, the general director of the system.
It is above all the general public who come to seek answers and also help.
In the top 3 cyber attacks, we find phishing in all its forms: email, SMS, private messages on social networks.
Their objective: to lure the victim to a fraudulent site in order to extract their data or passwords, or even extort a payment.
Then come the hacking of accounts, particularly social networks like Instagram or TikTok, and the fake IT help scam.
Scams that have become sad classics
A true scourge, phishing uses multiple pretexts to lead to scams.
At the top of the list, there is the SMS or email with the false unpaid fine, the violation of child pornography but also the Crit'Air sticker or the bogus delivery of a package.
The phenomenon of fake bank advisors is clearly growing.
It only generated nearly 4% of searches for assistance, i.e. 5,000 victims seeking help, but its growth in volume is dizzying: + 78% compared to 2022. The other most impressive increases relate to viruses (+ 67%), bank card fraud (+ 87%) or theft and identity theft (+ 93%).
Finally, a new arrival in the online scam section, the SMS “Hello mom” made a late but notable entry into this dark ranking at the end of the year.
Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr is already warning of the emergence this year of “quishing”, phishing by QR Code which leads to a fraudulent site.