Dubai: In a remarkable display of collaborative success, myco (previously known as MContent), the innovative web3 video streaming platform, and Xapads, the leading advertising technology company won big at Digixx 2023 Awards. Their joint campaign won gold awards in both the Insight & Research and Mobile & Apps Marketing categories, showcasing the exceptional creativity, innovation, and impact that resulted from their partnership.myco and Xapads embarked on a mission to position myco as a cutting-edge app for web3 video streaming and to give content creators the power to earn from their creations. By leveraging strategic in-app placements through Xapads, the campaign soared, achieving heightened brand awareness, expanded reach, improved user retention rates, and higher quality user acquisitions for myco.  Tariq Jaser, Head of Marketing at myco, commented on the victory, saying, "We are incredibly proud of our collaboration with Xapads and the success we've achieved together at the Digixx 2023 Awards. This recognition reflects our commitment to innovation, creativity, and the potential of web3 technology to transform the video streaming landscape”.With this seamless collaboration and effective planning and execution, the campaign successfully reached over 2.8 million users and boosted the signup rate by an impressive 33%.Expressing his excitement, Gagan Uppal, Country Head-MENA, said “Our excitement is boundless upon receiving these awards, and we extend our gratitude to the Digixx 2023 Awards for acknowledging our dedication and efforts. Our collaboration with MyCo has played a crucial role in this success, and we recognize their invaluable contribution”. 

 Check Point Research (CPR), the Threat Intelligence arm of Check Point® Software Technologies Ltd, a leading provider of cybersecurity solutions globally, has published its Brand Phishing Report for Q4 2022. The report highlights the brands that were most frequently imitated by cybercriminals in their attempts to steal individuals’ personal information or payment credentials during October, November and December of last year.Yahoo was the most impersonated brand for phishing attacks during Q4 2022, climbing 23 places and accounting for 20% of all attempts. Check Point Research found cybercriminals distributing emails with subject lines that suggested a recipient had won awards or prize money from senders such as ‘Awards Promotion’ or ‘Award Center’. The content of the email informed the target that they had won prize money organized by Yahoo, worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. It asked the recipient to send their personal information and bank details, claiming to transfer the winning prize money to the account. The email also contained a warning that the target must not tell people about winning the prize because of legal issues.In general, the technology sector was the industry most likely to be imitated by brand phishing in the last quarter of 2022, followed by shipping and social networks. DHL came in second place with 16% of all brand phishing attempts, ahead of Microsoft in the third spot with 11%. LinkedIn also returned to the list this quarter, reaching fifth place with 5.7%. DHL’s popularity could be due to the busy online shopping season surrounding Black Friday and Cyber Monday, with hackers using the brand to generate ‘fake’ deliveries notifications.Omer Dembinsky, Data Group Manager at Check Point Software said: “We are seeing hackers trying to bait their targets by offering awards and significant amounts of money. Remember, if it looks too good to be true, it almost always is. You can protect yourself from a brand phishing attack by not clicking on suspicious links or attachments and by always checking the URL of the page you are directed to. Look for misspellings and do not volunteer unnecessary information.”Top 10 Most Imitated BrandsBelow are the top brands ranked by their overall appearance in brand phishing attempts:Yahoo (20%)DHL (16%)Microsoft (11%)Google (5.8%)LinkedIn (5.7%)WeTransfer (5.3%)Netflix (4.4%)FedEx (2.5%)HSBC (2.3%)WhatsApp (2.2%)Instagram Phishing Email – Account Theft ExampleCPR observed a malicious phishing email campaign that was sent from “badge@mail-ig[.]com”. The email was sent with the subject “blue badge form”, and the content tried to persuade the victim to click on a malicious link claiming that the victim’s Instagram account had been reviewed by the Facebook team (the owner of the Instagram brand) and deemed eligible for the Blue Badge.