Threat Report 2025
Phishing attacks are becoming more sophisticated – a new gateway
01/10/2025 – 3:21 p.mReading time: 2 min.
Phishing attacks via search engines have skyrocketed. Security companies warn against new methods and the use of so-called shadow IT.
The number of successful phishing attacks on companies almost tripled in 2024 compared to the previous year. As the latest cloud and threat report from security company Netskope shows, around 0.8 percent of surveyed employees from various companies clicked on fake links. In 2023 it was still less than 0.3 percent.
What’s particularly worrying is that almost 20 percent of these clicks came from manipulated search engine results. Cybercriminals use targeted advertisements or special search engine optimization techniques to place fake websites high in the results.
The attackers have apparently adjusted their strategy. While employees have become much more cautious when it comes to emails, their awareness of dangers in search results is still low. Cloud services are particularly popular targets: more than a quarter of all phishing links clicked led to fake provider log-in pages. At 42 percent, Microsoft was the most common target, followed by Adobe Cloud (18 percent) and DocuSign (15 percent).
Another risk is the private use of cloud applications. According to the study, 88 percent of employees use private cloud apps for business purposes at least once a month. Automatic smartphone backups or the synchronization of calendars with private accounts are particularly problematic, as sensitive company data can inadvertently end up in unsafe environments.
The use of artificial intelligence has also increased the potential for danger. In 94 percent of the companies examined, employees use AI applications, although many companies block them for security reasons. The number of AI users in companies tripled in 2024 compared to the previous year – from 2.6 to 7.8 percent.
In order to minimize these risks, according to Netskope, 66 percent of companies rely on special data loss prevention systems. About a third also use coaching tools that warn employees in real time if they want to transmit sensitive data to unauthorized services.
The Netskope report is based on anonymized usage data from corporate customers between November 2023 and November 2024. Only data from customers who had agreed to a prior analysis was evaluated.