Brand Protection as a Cybersecurity Priority: Why CISOs Care About Brand Abuse

Brand protection, once relegated to legal and marketing departments, is now squarely on the cybersecurity agenda. Modern Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) increasingly recognize that brand abuse (impersonation of a company’s name, website, or identity) isn’t just a trademark issue; it’s a serious security threat. In today’s landscape of phishing scams, fraud schemes, and digital impersonation, protecting the company’s brand online has become a cybersecurity priority. This piece explores why CISOs around the globe are focusing on brand abuse as part of their security mission, backed by real-world examples and data.

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The Convergence of Brand and Cybersecurity

Not long ago, reputational risk was considered outside the scope of IT security. That’s changing fast. At RSA Conference 2025, one of the strongest themes was that protecting the company’s brand and reputation is now a cybersecurity responsibility. Even keynote speakers outside the industry emphasized that “protect your brand” is not just marketing advice but a message that resonates in today’s threat environment.

Seasoned CISOs are coming to the same conclusion: cyber defense isn’t only about firewalls and endpoints anymore, but about safeguarding trust and identity. Attackers have expanded their targets to what experts call the “external attack surface” – domains, websites, social accounts, and executive identities that lie outside direct IT control.

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The security industry reflects this pivot. In 2024, Check Point acquired CyberInt to expand its brand threat intelligence capabilities. Rapid7 also extended its offerings into digital risk protection. Moves like these underscore the message: brand protection is no longer niche, it’s a critical piece of enterprise security.

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Why Brand Abuse Is a Serious Cyber Threat

Brand impersonation has become one of the most common tactics in cyberattacks. According to Menlo Security’s 2025 Browser Security Report, nearly 51% of browser-based phishing attempts involve brand abuse, and attackers are spinning up close to 1 million new phishing websites each month, a 700% increase since 2020.

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Household names are prime targets. Check Point Research shows that Microsoft, LinkedIn, Facebook, and DHL are among the most impersonated brands globally. At one point, DHL was linked to 22% of phishing attempts worldwide.

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The economic impact is equally serious. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission reported that in 2021, consumers lost over $2.3 billion to imposter scams, nearly doubling from the year before. These scams erode trust in legitimate companies, even when the businesses themselves aren’t at fault.

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What Brand Abuse Looks Like

Brand abuse encompasses a wide set of tactics:

• Phishing websites and emails: Fake login pages and spoofed emails using corporate domains or logos.
  
  
• Typosquatting domains: Lookalike URLs (e.g., yourc0mpany.com) trick users into thinking they’re legitimate.
  
  
• Social media impersonation: Fake accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter posing as company executives or support reps, a trend documented by ZeroFox Threat Intelligence.
  
  
• Fake apps and ads: Counterfeit apps or search ads masquerading as trusted brands.
  
  
• Counterfeit e-commerce: Rogue sites selling knock-off goods under a company’s name.
  
  

Each of these vectors has a direct security impact. Customers lose money, credentials get stolen, and brand trust suffers.

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Real-World Examples

• Shipping scams: During the pandemic, phishing texts mimicking DHL and FedEx surged. Fake notifications like “Your package is delayed” led to fraudulent payment forms, a trend covered in Check Point’s Brand Phishing Report.
  
  
• Executive deepfakes: According to Cybersecurity Dive, 40% of organizations said a deepfake attack targeted one of their executives in the past year.
  
  
• Business Email Compromise: FBI IC3 reports consistently show BEC as one of the most costly cybercrimes, often built on spoofed executive emails or lookalike domains.
  
  

These examples highlight why brand impersonation is both a security and business risk.

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A CISO’s Role

Forward-thinking CISOs now fold brand protection into digital risk management. The ZeroFox blog notes impersonation often starts outside the firewall, targeting customers or employees.

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Steps CISOs are taking include:

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• Continuous monitoring of domains, social platforms, and the dark web.
  
  
• Cross-team collaboration with legal, marketing, and fraud groups.
  
  
• Rapid takedown processes for phishing sites and fake accounts.
  
  
• Education programs to help employees and customers spot impersonation.
  
  

As RSA speakers warned, “your brand is your attack surface.” CISOs must defend it accordingly.

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Conclusion

The rise of brand abuse makes one thing clear: brand protection is a cybersecurity priority. Phishing sites, spoofed executives, and fake social accounts are no longer edge cases; they’re central to modern attack strategies. For CISOs, protecting the brand is protecting the business.

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MarqVision helps fill this gap by detecting fake domains, social media impersonation, and fraudulent listings, then removing them quickly. For global CISOs, combining such tools with a proactive strategy is the best way to protect both customers and the company’s name in an era where trust is constantly under attack.

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