Switzerland increasingly targeted by cybercriminals

Phishing attacks have increased sharply in Switzerland, with cybersecurity firm Kaspersky blocking around 6.7 million attempts in 2024. This marks a huge rise of over 1,000% compared to 2023, when just 544,616 attempts were recorded.

Globally, phishing incidents also increased but at a slower pace, rising from 710 million in 2023 to 893 million in 2024 - a 26% increase. Between May and July 2024, Kaspersky experts noticed a spike in phishing attempts, mostly linked to fake airline and hotel booking offers. Fraudsters also created fake websites mimicking well-known brands like Booking.com, Airbnb, TikTok, and Telegram.

"Even though the basic mechanics of phishing and fraud remain the same, cybercriminals are continually perfecting their camouflage mechanisms. They exploit news and trending topics and even combine the logos of several companies on a single phishing page to increase the effectiveness of their campaigns," says Olga Svistunova, security expert at Kaspersky.

Email remains a key tool for cybercriminals. In 2024, Kaspersky blocked around 6 million malicious email attachments in Switzerland, with the country ranking 6th in the world amongst those most frequently confronted with malicious attachments. Globally, 125 million malicious attachments were detected, targeting both individuals and businesses. Cybercriminals used a variety of techniques including fake job offers, court orders, and official notices or password-protected folders to trick victims into clicking on harmful links or downloading malware.

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