What is Phishing Attack and How to Prevent from Phishing Attacks?

June 1, 2022 – Reading Time: 9-11 minutes

As more criminals turn to internet schemes to steal your personal information, phishing defense has become critical.

We've learned to ignore spam emails, but phishing emails might appear to be legitimate. Some are even tailored to your exact needs. Because you'll almost certainly be subjected to a phishing attempt at some point, you'll need to be aware of the warning signs. Scams are nothing new on the internet, but phishing is more difficult to detect than you may believe.

Phishing attacks have been around since the dawn of the internet. Cybercriminals utilized America Online (AOL) to disseminate the first phishing attacks in the mid-1990s, collecting passwords and credit card information.

Cybercriminals use more advanced strategies than modern attacks, which use comparable social engineering concepts. At its foundation, phishing is a kind of assault that employs social engineering techniques to persuade a person to take something that is counter to their best interests.

Phishing attacks have been used all across the internet to trick unsuspecting victims into giving up their bank account information, social security numbers, and other personal information.

Furthermore, fraudsters have improved their deception skills. These frauds can sometimes be disguised as voices you recognize and trust, such as your workplace, your bank, or even your government. You could be the next victim of a scammer if you simply click a link.

What is Phishing Attack?

Phishing is the misleading and exploitation of consumers through the use of electronic communications. Phishing attempts to get sensitive and personal information such as usernames, passwords, credit card numbers, network credentials, and so on. Cyber attackers utilize social engineering to trick victims into completing specified activities, such as clicking on a harmful link or attachment, or willingly giving private information, by impersonating a reputable people or institution over the phone or via email.

Individuals and businesses are both at risk; practically any type of personal or organizational data can be valuable, whether used to perpetrate fraud or gain access to a company's network. Furthermore, certain phishing scams can target organizational data to aid intelligence or state-sponsored spying on opposition parties.

The following is the most usual scenario:

• When you open your email, you are greeted by a message from your bank. When you click the link in the email, you will be transported to a page that resembles your bank in appearance.

• The catch is that this website is set up to steal your personal information. The notice will state that your account has a problem and will prompt you to confirm your username and password.

• You will normally be directed to the actual institution to input your credentials a second time after entering your credentials on the page that appears. Because you are directed to a reputable institution, you are not immediately aware that your information has been stolen.

These threats can become rather complex, and they can appear in all forms of communication, including phone calls. Phishing is dangerous since it can deceive anyone who isn't wary of minor nuances.

Let's take a look at how phishing attacks work so you can protect yourself without being anxious.

How does Phishing Work?

Phishing scammers can target anyone who uses the internet or phones. Phishing attacks typically attempt to:

• Malware infects your gadget.
• To gain your money or identity, steal your secret credentials.
• Take control of your online profiles.
• Persuade you to send money or valuables gladly.

These hazards don't always target just you. If a hacker gains access to your email, contact list, or social media accounts, they can send phishing messages to individuals you know, posing as you.

Phishing is deceptive and hazardous because it relies on trust and haste. You're an easy target if the criminal can persuade you to trust them and act without thinking.

Who is at danger of being a victim of a Phishing Attack?

Anyone of any age can be a victim of phishing, whether in their personal lives or at business. Nowadays, everyone from the elderly to small toddlers uses internet devices. Scammers can add your contact information to their phishing target list if they can discover it publically.

Nowadays, it's more difficult to conceal your phone number, email address, online message IDs, and social networking profiles. As a result, merely having one of these makes you a target. Furthermore, phishing assaults might be wide or extremely targeted in terms of the people they try to deceive.

Types of Phishing Attacks

Email Phishing

One of the most well-known attack methods is email phishing, sometimes known as “deception phishing.” Malicious actors send people emails posing as a well-known company, then use social engineering techniques to create a false sense of urgency, causing them to click on a link or download an item.

Typically, the links lead to phishing websites that steal credentials or install malicious software on the user's device, also known as malware. Malicious content is contained in downloads, which are mainly PDFs, and the malware is installed when the user reads the document.

Smishing

Different types of technologies are frequently used by malicious actors who use similar strategies. Smishing is when someone sends someone an SMS that asks them to do something. These are the next step in the vishing progression. The letter will frequently contain a link that, when clicked, may install malware on the user's device.

Angler Phishing

As criminal actors transition from one attack vector to the next, social media has become a favorite target for phishing assaults. Angler phishing is when a cybercriminal uses alerts or direct messaging tools of a social media platform to urge someone to take action, similar to vishing and smishing.

Vishing

Voice phishing, often known as “vishing,” occurs when a cybercriminal phones a phone number and instils a sense of urgency in the recipient, causing them to act against their best interests. These calls are most common during stressful periods.

CEO Fraud/whaling

Whale phishing, also known as whaling or CEO fraud, is another sort of corporate phishing that uses OSINT (Open Source Intelligence). To find the name of the organization's CEO or another senior leadership member, malicious actors use social media or the corporate website. They then spoof that person by using a similar email address. The email could request a money transfer or a document review from the receiver.

How to prevent from Phishing Attacks

Every day, whether we like it or not, you will be the target of phishing emails.

The majority of these are automatically filtered out by our email providers, and users have gotten rather proficient at recognizing these types of communications and using common sense to refuse to comply with their requirements.

However, you've previously experienced how deceiving phishing can be. You should also be aware that phishing attacks can affect any sort of communication or internet browsing, not simply emails.

Following a few basic phishing prevention techniques will drastically reduce your chances of falling victim to a fraudster.

Steps to Defend Yourself Against Phishing

Internet security begins with your attitude and behavior in the face of potential cyberthreats.

Phishing deceives users into handing over login credentials for a variety of sensitive accounts, including email, business intranets, and other online services.

Even for the most vigilant consumers, detecting a phishing assault can be tough. Over time, these attacks become more sophisticated, and hackers discover new ways to personalize their schemes and send very convincing communications, which can easily fool people.

Here are some fundamental precautions to take with your emails and other communications at all times:

• Before handing up critical information, use caution. Never click the link in an email you get from your bank or another significant institution. Instead, open your browser window and type the address into the URL field to verify that the site is legitimate.

• Alarming messages should never be trusted. The majority of trustworthy businesses will not ask for personally identifying information or account information over email. This includes your bank, insurance provider, and any other company with which you do business. If you ever receive an email seeking account information, delete it right away and call the company to confirm that your account is operational.

• Do not open any attachments in these suspicious or odd emails, particularly those in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or PDF format.

• Embedded links in emails should never be clicked since they could be infected with malware. Use caution when receiving messages from suppliers or other parties, and don't click on embedded URLs in the original message. Instead, check the request by visiting the site directly and reviewing the vendor's contact policies and processes for seeking information by putting in the right URL address.

Conclusion

While phishing can be a challenging subject to tackle at times, you can considerably reduce your risk of falling victim to digital scammers by following the basic techniques and advice mentioned in this article (and utilizing correct phishing prevention tools).