Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) released its latest Phishing Activity Trends Report today warning that the number of unique phishing websites detected in June rose to 49,084, the highest since April, 2007’s record of 55,643, and the second-highest recorded since APWG began reporting this measurement. “The number of hijacked brands ascended to an all-time high of 310 in March and remained, in historical context, at an elevated level to the close of the half in June,” says the report.

APWG Chairman David Jevans says: “The Internet has never been more dangerous. In the first half of 2009, phishing escalated to some of the highest levels we’ve ever seen. Of even greater concern is the skyrocketing sophistication and proliferation of malicious software designed to steal online passwords and user names. New malicious software such as the Zeus trojan, exhibit a level of sophistication that would make the best software programmers envious.”

The following are some of the key findings from the report:

• Unique phishing reports submitted to APWG recorded a high of 37,165 in May, around 7 per cent higher than last year’s high of 34,758 in October.
• The number of unique phishing websites detected in June rose to 49,084, the highest recorded since April, 2007’s record of 55,643.
• The number of banking trojan/password-stealing crimeware infections detected increased during more than 186 percent between Q4, 2008 and Q2, 2009.
• The total number of infected computers rose more than 66 percent between Q4 2008 and the end of the half, 2009 to 11,937,944—now more than 54 percent of the total sample of scanned computers.
• Payment Services became phishing’s most targeted sector, displacing Financial Services in Q1 & Q2.

The full report is available here [PDF].