Microsoft remains most impersonated brand as ChatGPT cracks top ten of phishing rankings

Check Point Research released its Brand Phishing Ranking for the second quarter of 2026, showing that Microsoft continued to be the most impersonated brand, accounting for 22.6% of all brand phishing attempts – roughly double the share of the next most targeted brand. LinkedIn ranked second at 11.6%, followed by Google (6.7%), Apple (5.8%) and Amazon (5.2%). For the first time, OpenAI’s ChatGPT entered the top ten, representing 1.1% of phishing activity.

The top five brands together comprised more than half of all impersonation attempts, highlighting attackers’ focus on a small set of globally recognised platforms. Check Point said the appearance of AI tools on the list signals that cybercriminals are now targeting generative‑AI services as they become embedded in daily workflows. “Brand phishing is entering a new phase where attackers are not only exploiting trust in household technology names, but also moving quickly toward the AI platforms people are beginning to rely on every day,” said Omer Dembinsky, Data Research Manager at Check Point Research. The report also noted increasingly sophisticated tactics, such as fake payment‑failure notices for ChatGPT Plus subscriptions and counterfeit online stores designed to steal credit‑card details.