OpenDNS released statistics about which websites were commonly blocked — and which websites users were frequently given access to — in 2010. The report additionally details the companies online scammers targeted in 2010, as well as where the majority of phishing websites were hosted.


“Overall, 2010 was all about social, and this trend is reflected in the data we’re seeing at OpenDNS. Facebook is both one of the most blocked and the most allowed websites, reflecting the push/pull of allowing social sites in schools and the workplace,” said OpenDNS Founder and CEO David Ulevitch.

“This trend was also apparent in the phishing data we analyzed, where Facebook and other websites focusing on social gaming were frequently the targets of online scammers.”


Key statistics from 2010 include:

• Facebook is both the #1 most frequently blocked website, and the #2 most frequently whitelisted website. More than 14 percent of all users who block websites on their networks choose to block Facebook.
• The most frequently blocked categories of content were related to online pornography. The proxy/anonymizers category, which contains sites users will use to try and circumvent Web content filtering settings, was the next most popular category of content to block.
• The top three most commonly blocked websites for business users in specific are Facebook, MySpace and YouTube.
• PayPal continues to be the most frequent target of phishing websites; it was targeted nine times more frequently than the next most frequent target, Facebook; 45 percent of all phishing attempts made in 2010 were targeting PayPal.
• Five of the top ten most-phished brands — Facebook, World of Warcraft, Sulake Corporation (makers of Habbo), Steam and Tibia (online games) — are associated with online and social games.

A PDF of the report is available here.