The Latest Trends In Email Phishing And What You Can Do About Them
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The Latest Trends In Email Phishing And What You Can Do About Them
Presented By
Black Pearl Matrix
Characteristics of a Phishing Email
- Urgent matters for action, which require a quick response or threats.
- New or infrequent senders.
- Miraculous products with false promises.
- Spelling errors and messages without context.
- Request for personal data impersonating large institutions.
- Use of generic greetings.
- Email domains.
- Weird links or suspicious attachments.
United States was the country most affected by attempts to steal personal and financial data from people on the internet throughout 2022, according to research on phishing and spam practices in the world carried out by an important research company.
According to the survey, the percentage of American users who tried to open links sent to steal data at least once represents 14.9% of Internet users in the country. In second place in the ranking comes Portugal (19.7%), followed by France (17.9%), Tunisia (17.6%), Cameroon (17.3%) and Venezuela (16.8%).
It is important that all Internet users can sense when they are being targeted by attempted attacks. If you’ve ever filled out online forms containing your address, email and phone number, it’s likely that this information has been passed around and, eventually, scammers may try to use it against you at some point.
There are easier scams to detect and avoid, but fraudsters are always exploring new avenues of attack, and now the danger is in the growth of “Vishing” and “Smishing”.
Phishing
It is one of the most well-known types of fraud, where attempted attacks arrive via email or instant messaging services. The potential victim receives a fraudulent message from a fake contact who usually requests an instant response.
The message redirects the victim to a fake website, where they typically enter data such as passwords, credentials and other identifying information. This type of scam has been around for a long time and was used even before the internet and social media connected people.
Vishing
“Vishing” attacks, short for “voice phishing”, are a common electronic fraud technique that is being used more and more. Vishing is applied via phone calls, not via messages or email. These calls are primarily intended to obtain bank details or other important personal information from victims.
They are usually made by automatic calls or equipment that modify the fraudster’s voice. Even so, there are increasing reports of new attacks carried out by ordinary telephone operators, who pressure victims to obtain their personal data.
These scams are very difficult to trace as they are carried out through cheap VoIP services or other automated services.
A common Vishing technique is to have people answer questions during the call. They often claim to have information about unauthorized credit card purchases or unusual bank transactions on the victim’s account.
In order not to arouse suspicion, scammers provide another phone number for the victim to call, and that’s where the scam starts. Calling the suspicious number will likely be prompted by an automated voice system for credit, debit or other bank account information, along with passwords and other identifying information.
Depending on past information and the bank, it is possible that victims who fell into scams can recover lost money, but this is not what happens in all cases. Some banks may simply reject the application and claim negligence.
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Smishing
“Smishing” is a scam applied via SMS messages. The victim receives a text message, usually from a previously trusted source, but this is where the trouble starts. Typically, attackers claim to be bank administrators or collection agents, warning that the victim’s credit card or bank account has been compromised.
The victim is asked to click on suspicious links or call a phone number included in the message, where he usually ends up passing on all the information requested by the fraudsters. An example of this type of attack happened in 2017 in the US.
A large number of people started receiving the following message on their phones:
“Dear Walmart Shopper, You just won a gift card worth $1,000.” “Click here to claim the prize:”
The message featured a URL address that victims had to access in order to “receive” the gift card promised by the company.
In this particular case, the scammers took advantage of Walmart’s popularity to target as many victims as possible. Many people ended up accessing the link. Some completed a questionnaire and even provided credit card information in the process.
The ultimate goal is not always just to obtain personal information. Some smishing scams only focus on installing malware on victims’ phones to continuously collect data, gaining even more information over an extended period of time.
But no matter how bad the blows are, you can still follow some tips to try to prevent yourself.
They are easy to remember and can save you time and money, here are the recommendations:
1. Always check the numbers calling you or where your text messages are coming from. There are already smartphone apps that can help identify suspicious calls and messages.
2. Never give out your banking information over the phone, no matter how much you insist.
3. Banks generally do not ask for this type of information over the phone. Never transfer money to accounts that were stolen at the time of the call.
4. Pay attention to the SMS messages received and their origins, if you notice anything strange, contact your bank.
5. Pay special attention to links received by SMS, do not click on everything you see around, it is generally not possible to know where the links take the user and what can happen after access.
6. If you receive suspicious calls, just hang up the phone. Ignore unsolicited messages.
7. Another way to identify email scams is to pay attention to the address that sends suspicious messages and attached files.
It’s hard to detect all scams, but technology already offers us some ways to protect ourselves. The best way to avoid scams is to be wary of constant attempts to communicate.
If before phishing attempts were already highly disseminated and an integral part of the hackers portfolio, with the pandemic, such scams have intensified.
In the wake of widespread panic over the coronavirus, with elections on the way and misinformation, fraudulent emails have become an easy and quick bait for criminals, especially against companies that have had to adopt the home office, quickly and without the proper precautions.
More than 47 million phishing attempts were recorded in 2020. A survey points out 3 billion exposed data in 8 months.
Proof of this appears, for example, in a survey by PSafe, which said it recorded more than 47 million phishing scams in 2020, with the main target, precisely, employees of remote companies. Ordinary users, however, are in the crosshairs, with data from the same security experts pointing to more than 200 victims of these scams per minute, in the US alone.
The tendency is for the scammer modality to continue even with the end of the pandemic, becoming a vector to be considered for other types of attacks, ranging from data kidnapping for ransom to leaking and disclosing confidential or sensitive information.
These are situations that no one wants to get involved in and that can be avoided by following some good digital security and protection practices.
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Always be suspicious!
Experts often say that above any security platform or protection software is the user. And it is usually he who opens the door to hackers who practice phishing attacks, clicking on links received by instant messengers or opening e-mail attachments that claim to be what they are not.
This attention is the most direct way to avoid being “fished”, as indicated in a guide to good practices released by Daryus Consultoria, specialized in compliance, crisis management and education in digital security. Paying attention to the senders and ensuring they are known and trusted is the first step in attesting to the legitimacy of a message.
Experts point out, the ideal is not to click on links or open attachments that arrive by email or messaging systems without being absolutely sure that everything is correct.
It’s worth using research tools to look for common scam attempts, as phishing attacks tend to be widespread, and even confirm with the sender that he was really responsible for sending the alleged message.
In other indications, Daryus Consulting calls attention to generic treatments, with messages that begin with “Mr.”, “Mrs.” or “Dear”, for example, or messages on behalf of a person or company, but coming from unknown or mismatched email addresses.
These are common characteristics of phishing scams that also help prevent attacks.
Also, avoid filling out registrations or submitting information. Crooks often use the appearance of well-known services to try to steal data.
Phishing emails are not only vectors for infections or system intrusions, but can also be used to steal victims’ personal and financial data. Therefore, the same recommendations given above also apply to completing registrations or requests to send information, which should only be carried out when you are sure that the contact is legitimate.
Company names and even the appearance of official websites and communications are often used to give the appearance of legitimacy to actions in this category. Again, the tips to pay attention to email senders and be careful with requests of this type sent via instant messengers are worthwhile, as many companies simply do not act this way, never asking for sensitive data via email, WhatsApp and other systems. similar.
When in doubt, look for official support channels, such as the official website or customer service numbers, to validate the request. Only provide the data after you are sure, especially with regard to the means used for delivery, which must always be safe and protected.
Otherwise, ignore the prompts and, again, avoid clicking on links or downloading apps or attachments from these sources. Beware of sensational texts and many incredible offers.
Scam That Arrived By WhatsApp
Topics such as vaccines for the coronavirus, alarmist information about the electoral process or bombastic revelations about celebrities and politicians are often common weapons for hackers in an attempt at phishing. The ideal, instead of clicking on supposed news links or even passing on information of this type, is to verify that what was reported is correct through renowned websites or official profiles.
Extravagant offers, free delivery of items and even prices far below normal are also often used as traps for stealing personal data or banking information. Be wary if you receive proposals to sell products of the moment, such as an iPhone 14 or PlayStation 5, at prices much lower than those officially charged by large retailers. Chances are high that you will lose the money and also expose your personal and bank details to criminals but never receive the item.
Use Two-Step Authentication and Don't Repeat Passwords
Here, we are talking about a further step in the security and protection of information and sensitive data, which can receive an extra layer of security that makes an intrusion difficult, even if the data is effectively obtained by third parties. Two-step authentication adds one more password in addition to the original one, which should only be known to the user and prevents third parties from accessing the original credentials.
Most online services have protection features of this type, from social networks like Facebook, Twitter and even messengers like WhatsApp and Telegram, as well as websites, e-commerce, banks and other platforms. Just access the settings of each one of them to activate the additional password, which should not be passed on to anyone, not even trusted people, as it represents the last barrier against unauthorized intrusions.
In addition, good password usage practices involve using random, randomly created strings without involving easily identifiable terms such as birthdates, idols, or names of pets, spouses, or family members. Most of the time, credentials hacked from a service, by third parties, can mean the invasion of several others due to the repetition of information, so the ideal is to use different codes for each platform, adopting solutions such as managers in browsers or applications. to keep everything under control.
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Use Security and Antivirus Software
Even free antivirus and security solutions help detect the most common threats:
The last piece of security is always the user, but that doesn’t mean software can’t help in this endeavor. In the view of Daryus Consultoria, antivirus and firewalls are essential, as they add a basic level of protection, being able to identify the most common phishing attempts. Such applications must always be kept active and updated, as well as the operating system and other software used daily.
Free solutions of this type already help, while browser extensions can also help filter out malicious ads or automated malware downloads. Such solutions can also alert the user when accessing fraudulent pages and help with password management, as mentioned in the previous tip.
Invest in Safety and Education
For companies, investments in security solutions to protect servers and networks, especially when working remotely, are also essential steps, but not the only ones. Educating employees so they don’t fall for scams, as well as threat intelligence systems that warn of the most common attempts, as well as those targeted at the corporation, also help to keep environments safe.
Educating employees about the dangers and maintaining robust protection systems is the ideal way to prevent problems and ensure the integrity of employee and customer systems and data.
FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions About Email Phishing
1. What is considered a Social Engineering attack?
2. Why is it important to understand Phishing?
3. What is the main difference between social phishing and other techniques and why is it so effective?
4. Why is it impossible to catalog all the ways in which phishing can be carried out?
5. How to prevent against Phishing?
Conclusion
Phishing is a threat with no deadline to end. Due to the simplicity of disclosure by criminals, and because there are still many people on the internet who are unaware of these attacks or the risks they take online.
For some, the tips like, don’t click on any link or suspect absurd offers may be obvious, but the truth is that these are traps that easily reach people. Despite all the history of the internet in the world, more than 4 billion people in the world still do not have access to the internet. That is, they will be easy targets for virtual scammers.
Therefore, it is always necessary to educate and remind users about the basic measures to avoid being a victim of theft and fraud on the network.
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