Hacking is a nightmare when it comes to using the internet. And
a common method of hacking is phishing. Phishing attacks are used to trick
users or organizations into obtaining important information. Let's get to know
in detail what phishing is and how to protect yourself from it.
What is phishing?
Phishing is a type of hacking method that basically uses
deceptive techniques to steal user data such as login details, credit card
numbers, etc. The attacker or hacker usually disguises himself and manages to
trick the victim into clicking on a link sent by email. or a message.
The victim is tricked into clicking on a link containing the
malware, and when the link is clicked, the malware is downloaded onto the
device. The attacker then locks specific programs or files on the computer or
mobile, or leaks sensitive information in a ransomware attack or other
malicious attack.
Phishing attacks can take dire forms. In most cases, there have
also been things like unauthorized purchases, theft of digital money and even identity
theft.
Phishing attacks are also carried out as part of a larger attack
on a corporate or government network. When an employee inadvertently clicks on
a malicious link, the attacker gains access to the network.
This type of phishing attack can cause serious problems for an
organization. Organizations affected by phishing attacks lose market share,
reputation, consumer trust, etc. Since phishing attacks occur for security
reasons, the customer's trust in the organization's security is compromised. We
have seen many such incidents in the past.
Examples of phishing
attacks
Let's look at an example to understand a phishing attack. Many
students at the same university were sent emails from an email address that
appeared to be a university email saying their passwords had expired. It will
also say that if the account password is not reset within 24 hours, the account
will be locked.
After clicking the password reset link, students will be
presented with an almost actual password reset page. A current and new password
will then be requested, which, once provided, will be stolen and used to
illegally access the student's original account. Also, when a link is clicked,
malicious scripts can be installed into the browser via a redirect, thereby
stealing the user's session cookies.
Similarly, a link sent with the name of Facebook password reset
can also show a page that looks like Facebook, where your Facebook account can
be hacked if you enter the password. In this way, by displaying fake pages,
users are deceived and important information is stolen by phishing.
Phishing techniques
Phishing attacks can take many forms. Let's learn about the
common phishing techniques used by a hacker to carry out a phishing attack.
Email phishing
Email phishing is essentially a numbers game. The attacker sends
numerous fake and fraudulent emails threatening the victim(s) with money or
account blocking. When one of these many email recipients clicks on the
provided link, they become a victim of a phishing attack.
Attackers use an organization's logo, font, signature, etc. to
trick a user into clicking on an email as part of impersonating the real
organization.
The user is usually forced to make a quick decision. For
example, in case of account expiration, password change, etc., if no action is
taken within the specified time, the account lock issue is mentioned.
You need to understand very well whether
the link or domain sent in these emails is real or fake. For example:
facebook.com is a valid and safe domain to open emails from. Faceb00k.com is
again not a valid email. Here "zero" is used instead of the English
letter "o", which looks closer. Fraudsters use many such tricks.
Therefore, always double check that the address is completely correct before
clicking on any link or email.
Spear phishing
Specific individuals or organizations are chosen as targets for
spear phishing. Rather, a phishing attack is an enhanced version where
sensitive information about a person or organization is used as leverage in a
phishing attack.
An attacker can do things
like:
• The intruder examines the names of the organization's
marketing department employees and gains access to the project's most recent
invoices
• The marketing director of the organization imitates it. Even
using the same text, style and logo as the company's standard email
• Click on the link provided to view a password protected
internal document which is actually a fake version of the stolen invoice.
• Login is required to view the document. Once logged in, the
credentials are stolen and used to infiltrate the organization's network.
How to stay safe from
phishing
Whether individuals or organizations, there are several
important steps to take to survive a phishing attack. Caution is the key to
surviving these problems. Fake messages often contain very small errors such as
spelling errors, slightly incorrect email addresses, etc. Phishing attacks can
be largely avoided if the user takes some time to check before clicking on such
a message or email.
Follow these tips to avoid
phishing attacks:
• Two-factor authentication makes hacking almost impossible. So
use two-factor authentication for any account. Even if a hacker gets the
username and password, they won't be able to access the account. And don't
share the OTP code in your message or email to anyone. This will protect you
from hacking.
• Security software should be used in the establishment. This
software should also be updated to prevent new security threats.
• Save data by backing it up. You can back up to non-network
media such as an external hard drive or cloud storage.
• Asking for sensitive information via email can be considered a
scam.
• Check the e-mail for spelling and grammatical errors, as
professional e-mails do not contain such errors.
• Do not trust sources that do not know your name or account
information. Be careful if you see a generic greeting, it's probably a phishing
message sent to many people.
• Verify everything before clicking on attachments received in
e-mails.
• Check that the email address of the person or organization
from which the email is being sent is correct.
• Verify that the site you are accessing is secure. If the URL
of the website does not start with "https", it is better not to use
the website.
• Always keep your browser, antivirus and operating system
updated to provide the latest virus and malware protection.
• You can check if a link is malicious by going to the
VirusTotal website by copying the link without directly clicking on the link
found in the suspicious email.
I hope this post helps you stay safe online. Share
your experiences and ideas in the comments!
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