In a simplified way, the term phishing is related to another word in the English language, “fishing”. With this, we can understand more clearly what this practice consists of: through Phishing, cybercriminals are able to “fish” sensitive data and information from users and companies through traps and false information.
Using false and attractive information, practitioners trap users to obtain data necessary to apply various scams. It can search for different types of data, such as banking information, personal data, confidential information about the company, among others. This virtual crime can affect all types of people and companies, depending solely on the criminal's objective.
When a person ends up falling for this type of scam, they can provide important data, such as credit card information, passwords, document numbers and other confidential information. This attack can seriously compromise a company's security , leaving sensitive information in the wrong hands.
Understand how Phishing works
Unlike other types of cyber attacks , phishing attacks do not use points of vulnerability in systems or machines. In fact, the main weapon of this type of scam is people's vulnerability.
This means that the hacker does not need technological resources to do this, he just plants traps hoping that the victim believes in the fraud and ends up providing information. One of the most common forms of this type of attack is email phishing. In this case, victims receive a fake email with an urgent request, which often contains malicious links and attachments. To better understand how this trap is prepared, check out this video:
To be realistic, it is common for email phishing scams to contain companies used by the user or people related to the victim as senders . For example: many phishing emails “origin” from bank managers, company directors, Microsoft, Netflix or Google.
If we pay attention, at least once in our lives, we receive a suspicious email that somehow tries to get us to open a link or an attachment. For this reason, the more realistic this email is, the greater the chances of the victim being convinced.
These traps in the form of a link or attachment can cause the user to enter confidential information or install malicious software, such as viruses, spyware and ransomware. These malicious files can compromise confidential and important data and, in some cases, cause irreparable damage to the company.
What is the role of social engineering?
As we said previously, the human factor is essential to guarantee the success of the scam carried out. In this sense, social engineering is a fundamental resource for this process . With the help of this tool, criminals can trick users into collecting confidential data and contaminate the attack victim's computers, networks and devices.
We can understand social engineering as a technique used by cybercriminals to, through traps and false information, deceive lay and unsuspecting users. Exploiting victims' lack of experience and inattention , these criminals manage to collect confidential data and infect devices, favoring the invasion and theft of confidential data .
What are the main types of phishing?
Based on social engineering techniques , attacks can target any type of user or company, depending on the criminal's objective. The main types of phishing attacks carried out today are:
Spear Phishing
This type of attack targets a specific group of victims with the same profile, such as IT managers or managers from the same sector . In this case, the email delivers specific information about the type of work the victim performs, with a download link for cybercriminals to access networks, collect information or deploy malicious software.
Whaling
This phishing attack looks for the big “whales”, that is: it is aimed at people with senior positions, such as directors, SEOs, or large representatives of companies and organizations .
It is common for this type of email to contain a security alert or legal problem that may be affecting the business, delivering a malicious link so that the victim can obtain more information. In this case, the email may lead to the person being redirected to a false page, which requests work-related data or bank account details.
Smishing
Using the text messaging service (SMS), this attack is very common and can affect any type of user. By sending short text messages, cybercriminals try to get the victim to open a link or click on a contact phone number.
A common type of this type of attack are SMS sent by fake banking institutions , stating that there was a problem with the account and it had been compromised. The intention is to make the victim enter confidential information that can later be used in financial scams.
Vishing
With the same objective as other types of attack, this type of phishing seeks to collect personal information or confidential corporate information. The difference in this case is that the attack is carried out via a voice call. The cybercriminal may report that he is a representative of a brand, such as Google or Microsoft, and report that a virus was found on the victim's network or equipment. With this, it asks the victim to provide their bank details and update their antivirus software.
Along with collecting confidential information, the hacker is also able to install malicious software, which can corrupt data, steal information, or transform computers connected to the company's network into bots ("zombie" computers that are used in DDoS-type attacks ).
Email phishing attack
This is the most common type of phishing attack used today. With the help of fake emails, criminals try to convince the victim to enter their personal data, banking information or install malicious software. These emails use social engineering to create a perfect trap that convinces users and misleads them.
Phishing in search engines
This type of trap is extremely dangerous for companies that do not control internet access within the organization. In an extremely elaborate way, cybercriminals manage to place their fake pages prominently within search engines, causing users to click by mistake.
With this, they can obtain banking information, email and social network passwords, and many other data. They can create pages identical to social networks, entertainment sites and e-commerce pages.
Do you know how to identify this type of attack?
A phishing attack can cause a lot of damage to the victim or company that was the target of the strategy . From financial fraud to the installation of malicious software, the problems caused by phishing can have a huge impact.
Often, the dangers caused by this type of attack are underestimated , so that users do not take due care to avoid clicking on suspicious links or downloading files without prior verification. It is very important that, when faced with this type of situation, the user knows how to assess the risks and determine the best approach.
It is common for more inexperienced users to be unable to appreciate the great impact that information theft can have on a person or a company. Because of this vulnerability, it is essential that companies implement a policy of conscious internet use and implement an awareness campaign as a way to avoid this type of problem.
In addition to this, the company must have efficient tools to make internet use within the company safer, such as internet blocking software. This feature allows the company to manage access more efficiently and keep users away from the main traps present in the virtual environment.
