Well, that’s not great.

If you’ve been following the news, specifically security news, I’m sure you’re aware of the recent influx of phishing scams. They’re primarily, and predictably, focused around the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Any armchair security analyst could have predicted an up-tick in phishing numbers, but what we are seeing now is virtually unprecedented.

The chart you see above you contains the daily numbers of new phishing domains. Yes, each bar is the number of new, unique domains reported each day. Within a month, we have more than doubled the number of daily reported domains.

Traditional scams are still on the rise

What may surprise you, more than anything, is that old tricks are not fading away. Yes, the majority of new attempts are focused around COVID-19, but we are also seeing a large number of traditional attacks on the rise as well.

Statistics courtesy of PhishTank

The truth is, Americans are staying home now more than ever. A very large portion of us are constantly on our computers, and in a state of duress. You know it, and phishers know it. You are probably much more likely to fall for a phishing scam now, not only because of fear, but because of boredom.

It’s not all hype, the numbers are there

March was really not kind to us, in many ways, and what we saw in the security statistics was staggering. You’re looking at an entire year’s worth of phishing domain statistics, and nothing compares to what the last 45 days have brought on.

What isn’t surprising is that these numbers actually do coincide with how many people are now out of work or otherwise stuck at home. With 17 states now restricting travel and many states closing down non-essential businesses, it could simply mean that we have more time on our hands, and are paying more attention

What can we do to fight the flood?

Now, more than ever, we need education. We need phishing simulation programs mimicking the very attacks we are seeing, and thorough security awareness training at every opportunity. Simply warning people is not enough. We have to teach healthy skepticism, attention to detail, and if it’s too good or too scary to be true, it likely is.

The truth is, it will likely get much worse before it gets better.