What is Phishing?
Phishing is a type of data breach malware attack in which the attacker sends a deceptive email or any other form of electronic communication manipulating the receiver to give access to their private data such as credit card details, among others. It is a type of social engineering attack or identity theft with other threats, such as malware, code injection, and network attacks.
There are many types of phishing attacks. But most of them are sent out via emails, in which the attacker tricks the receiver into believing by posing as someone they trust. This includes tricking the receiver into revealing some sensitive information or deploying malicious software in their system.
Pronounced exactly as “fishing,” most of the phishing happens through malicious web links, data entry forms, and attachments with malware infections like ransomware that literally “fish” the user’s data.
Types of Phishing Attacks
Among the many categories of phishing attacks, almost all include the attacker posing as some authority the user trusts. Take a look at the various types of these attacks:
1. Email Phishing
This is the most common type of phishing attack, which includes the attacker sending an email to a user in an organization. The attacker poses as someone the user trusts and gets them to click on the email by drafting subject lines that elicit some sort of urgency.
2. Spear Phishing
This practice is exactly like email phishing. So what is the difference? Well, these phishing campaigns are targeted at a specific person or a specific organization. This means that the attacker already has some sort of information about the person, including name, phone number, or email ID, and wants to extract some specific information.
3. Malware Phishing
The most specific example of malware phishing is macros in a document. This type of phishing involves getting you to download malware like ransomware or adware.
4. CEO Fraud & Whaling
Whaling involves getting the senior executives or C-level business authorities of any organization to authorize high-profile activities or transactions, while CEO fraud means the attacker acts as a senior executive or a CEO and targets specific employees of an organization for data or money.
5. Smishing & Vishing
Smishing (or SMS phishing) is quickly becoming the most dangerous form of phishing. As we use our smartphones for two-factor authentication, the attacker sends a phishing attack via text messages or phishing messages.
On the other hand, vishing includes the attacker sending you a voicemail or making a phone call for a phishing attack.
6. Cloning
This phishing practice includes the attackers copying or cloning legitimate emails already sent and sending them out with malicious links or attachments. This process might also include hacking to obtain the legitimate email by fraud.
There are many other types of phishing practices as well. But let us move on to more about phishing practices and their impact on us.
How to Identify Phishing Emails?
It is not easy to identify phishing campaign emails until you’re very careful. Phishing emails generally use social engineering tactics, assuming that people generally trust big companies and people. They take you to a fake website while you believe that it is the original.
The most phishing examples you’ll come across will include the victim providing access to proprietary data, filling forms with credentials, or transferring funds on the pretense that they are helping the company by doing so.
Let us closely look at what some phishing emails look like to better understand what phishing is and how to avoid it:
1. Deactivated Account
In this phishing email, the attacker will inform the user that their account has been compromised and will remain deactivated until further action is taken. This action might include filling up a form with private information or credit card data.
2. Fund Request
This is a form of CEO fraud in which the user will receive an email from a senior executive to contribute to something like CEO funds for a specific purpose. Of course, there is a sense of urgency involved in needing the funds and to help the CEO and company.
3. Compromised Credit Card
This is also quite a common phishing example in which the attacker poses as a brand or shopping alley that the user might have recently shopped with. They’ll tell the user that their credit card information has been compromised, and they need to confirm details to protect their payment method.
4. Tech Support Emails
These days phishing attackers have upped their game. They pose as tech companies warning their users of unusual login activity, and they will guide the user using malicious links to reset their passwords or other login credentials.
5. Malicious .HTML Attachments
Many people trust ‘.HTML’ attachments as banks and financial institutions commonly use them. And anti-virus software also often fails to detect any prospective viruses in these files. That’s why many attackers use these attachments to attack new users.
Common Phishing Email Subject Lines
Let us also shortlist some subject lines of prospective phishing so that you can effectively ignore these subject lines to protect yourself from phishing activities.
These days attackers have become sophisticated, and they send highly personalized and urgent emails to persuade people. Here are some subject lines they might use:
- Delay in payroll
- Out of Date Billing Info
- Reset Your Password Immediately
- Mandatory Corona Update
- Holiday Bonus
- Annual Raise
- Vacation Policy Update
- Security Alert
- Failed Delivery
And there are several other subject lines that create a sense of urgency, and they will immediately catch your attention as these are the things that matter to you.
How to Avoid A Phishing Attack?
Now that we know that phishing emails are not easy to recognize and differentiate, we must take extra measures to protect our systems from prospective phishing attacks via email or other online communication.
Phishing awareness is really necessary. Brands should also secure their emails to avoid any business email compromise. Follow these steps to stay clear of such activities:
- Do not click on suspicious links. Instead, hover on the link to find where that link is heading you.
- Do not open suspicious links as antivirus can’t detect viruses from all kinds of attachments.
- Use two-factor authentication.
- Always backup your data.
- Use spam filters.
Final Thoughts
Phishing scams are rampant, and we need to protect our system from prospective phishing attempts that might contain malicious attachments or links.
A phishing scam might look like an urgent email that you should immediately pay attention to. They might ask you to fill in some sensitive data or personal details on fraudulent data entry forms. Or a phishing attempt might try to direct you to a malicious website using authentic-looking emails and links.
So, you must always ensure that you click on attachments or links from legitimate users only. Use antivirus software and two-factor authentication to protect your account.
