Phishing attacks: Everything You Need to Know

Did you know? The first phishing lawsuit was brought in 2004 against a Californian kid who made a fake version of the website “America Online.” He was able to obtain personal data from individuals and access their credit card information using this false website, which he then used to withdraw money from their accounts.

Nowadays, the complexity of phishing assaults increases with the quick advancement of technology. Phishing assaults get increasingly sophisticated as society becomes more digitally advanced. 

Here is a quick tip on what you should keep in mind to avoid phishing scams during internet browsing.

What is Phishing?

First of all, let’s dive deep into what “phishing” really means. Phishing is a term that was used in 1995, just 4 years after the launch of the first website, to describe the illegal practice of obtaining users’ personal and business information through deceptive emails and websites. Usernames, passwords, and credit cards are used to steal money or further data in the future.

The term “phishing” is a mix of the words “fishing” and “phreaks,” which was the nickname given to hackers. Phishing is regarded as a type of social engineering, which is the phrase for persuading individuals by presenting a false identity in the context of web security.

Types of Attacks

Email phishing: A message from what appears to be a trustworthy sender attempts to deceive the receiver into clicking a dangerous link or downloading a harmful file. A phishing email may use spoofing to make the email address and any URLs appear real.

Smishing/SMS phishing: Through text messages, attackers attempt to persuade victims into disclosing personal information, including credit card details or other account numbers.

Vishing/Voice phishing: These attacks, which are essentially the same as smishing but are conducted over the phone, target credit card information or other sensitive information.

Phishing Attack Prevention

1. Focus on the sender and the URL in emails

One of the most popular phishing tricks is to impersonate a well-known company by sending an email with their name and claiming there is a problem with your account and asking you to check in “to solve it.” In most cases, the email’s appearance closely resembles that of the original company, but there is a certain way to tell if you are viewing the real thing.

Examining the email address is an effective method to spot phishing emails because con artists can’t make email addresses with the company’s actual domain name, so instead of [email protected], it usually looks like [email protected] Examine the email address and link attached thoroughly!

2. Do not download “fishy” attachments

However, instead of pretending to be a large corporation, they occasionally send along an attachment that contains malware while still appearing to be a legitimate business email. The email is frequently formatted as a business proposition or an email sent from the recipient’s own organisation or management that contains files with confidential data.

Do not open any attachments if you do not know who sent them. It is best to remain cautious if you know the sender but don’t anticipate receiving anything from them or if there is something off about the message. As sometimes con artists break into people’s email accounts and use them for phishing assaults by spamming their contacts, call the sender and ask them if they intended to send you anything.

3. Double check the site you visit

When you click on a phishing link, which typically appears in emails or instant chats, you’ll frequently be directed to a website with a form of some kind. These forms’ primary goal is to collect your most private data, such as usernames and passwords.

Before entering any data, be sure you are at the right website by checking the address in the browser’s address bar.

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