Cybercriminals Sent 1.76 Billion Social Media Phishing Emails in 2023

Phishing activity in 2023 increasingly leveraged social media brand impersonation, with Facebook leading and Microsoft close behind; Vade’s report cites 1.76 billion phishing emails containing impersonated URLs to more than 197,000 unique phishing sites and a 113% rise in social media brand abuse (including Instagram, Google, and WhatsApp). This trend reflects attackers’ goals to broaden reach and monetize initial access to personal and corporate accounts, reinforcing the need for continuous security awareness training to reduce human risk.