Brand impersonation attacks in India rise over 300%

Digital brand abuse attacks surged more than 300% in India between 2024 and 2025, Seqrite Labs reported. Globally, five brands, Microsoft, LinkedIn, Google, Apple and Amazon, accounted for over half of all brand phishing in Q2 2026, according to Check Point Research. These attacks use fake websites, social media accounts, cloned apps and AI-generated content to exploit customer trust rather than breach corporate networks. Many companies discover impersonation campaigns only after customers complain, by which time fake domains are indexed and counterfeit listings have reached thousands of consumers.

The impact goes beyond financial loss. Experian's Identity and Fraud Report says identity theft is now consumers' leading security concern, overtaking stolen card data. The World Economic Forum's Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2026 ranks cyber-enabled fraud as business leaders' top cybersecurity worry, ahead of ransomware. The article urges CISOs to expand their attack surface definition to include lookalike domains, fake websites, impersonated social media, rogue apps and executive impersonation. Continuous monitoring of these channels is now a cybersecurity capability, not just brand management.