What is phishing?
Phishing is a type of cyberattack where an attacker attempts to trick you into revealing sensitive information - such as passwords, credit card numbers, social security numbers, or personal details - by pretending to be a legitimate organization or trusted individual. The term "phishing" is derived from the idea of "fishing" for your private information, with attackers using deceptive tactics to "hook" victims.
Spotting a phishing attack is not always an easy task, but several key indicators can help you identify suspicious emails, messages, or websites.
How to Protect Yourself from Phishing:
1. Check the Sender's Email Address
- Suspicious Domain: Phishing emails often come from email addresses that look similar to legitimate ones but have slight misspellings or additional characters. For example, instead of "support@company.com," it might be "support@compnany.com" or "support@company-secure.com."
- Generic or Unusual Domain: Be cautious if the email comes from a generic email provider when it should come from an official domain (like @company.com).
2. Look for Typos or Grammatical Errors
- Phishing messages often contain spelling mistakes, awkward phrasing, or poor grammar. Legitimate companies usually proofread their communications.
3. Examine the Message's Tone
- Urgency or Threats: Phishing emails often create a sense of urgency, such as warning that your account has been compromised or that you need to act immediately to avoid losing access to your account.
- Promises of Rewards or Prizes: Be wary of emails claiming you've won something, especially if you didn’t enter a contest or provide your details.
4. Don’t Trust Unsolicited Attachments or Links
- Suspicious Links: Hover your mouse over any links in the email without clicking. Look at the URL that appears in the bottom left corner of your screen. Phishing emails often use disguised links that lead to fake websites. For example, instead of "www.paypal.com," you might see something like "www.paypal-support.com" or "www.paypalsupport.com."
- Attachments: Avoid opening attachments from unknown senders. These can contain malware or viruses.
5. Look for Inconsistent Branding or Design
- Legitimate emails from companies will have a professional appearance, with consistent logos, colors, and formatting. If the logo appears pixelated, the design looks off, or the layout seems unprofessional, it could be a phishing attempt.
6. Check for Unusual Requests for Personal Information
- Requests for Sensitive Data: A legitimate organization will never ask you to provide personal information (such as passwords, Social Security numbers, or credit card details) through email or text message. If you receive such a request, it’s likely a phishing attempt.
- Insecure Communication: Phishing emails might ask you to fill out forms on non-secure websites. Always ensure the URL starts with "https://" (the "s" stands for secure) when submitting personal details.
7. Verify via Official Channels
- If you receive an email from your bank, an online service, or another trusted company asking for sensitive information, don’t respond directly to the email. Instead, go to the official website by typing the URL directly into your browser, or call our customer service using the contact number on the company's website.
8. Check for Unusual or Out-of-Context Requests
- Too Good to Be True: If an email offers something that seems too good to be true—like an unbelievable discount or a prize you didn’t enter for—it’s a red flag.
- Unusual Requests from Friends or Colleagues: If you receive an unexpected email from a friend or colleague asking you to click on a link or download an attachment, confirm with them through another communication method (like a phone call or messaging app) before taking action.
9. Look for “Fake” or Insecure Websites
- When clicking on a link in an email, inspect the URL carefully. Phishing sites often look very similar to real websites but may have slight differences in spelling or additional words (e.g., "yourbank-security.com" instead of "yourbank.com").
- A website that asks you to enter personal information should always have a padlock icon in the address bar and the URL should start with https (secure) rather than http.
Common Phishing Techniques
- Email Phishing: Fake emails that impersonate legitimate companies to steal personal information.
- Spear Phishing: Highly targeted attacks where the attacker customizes the message to a specific individual or organization.
- Smishing (SMS Phishing): Phishing attempts through SMS messages (texts).
- Vishing (Voice Phishing): Fraudulent phone calls impersonating legitimate businesses to extract personal information.
- Clone Phishing: Attackers replicate a legitimate email you’ve received before, but with malicious links or attachments.
- Whale phishing: Whaling attacks target C-level staff like CEOs, CFOs, COOs, or any other senior executives. These targets are considered to be big players in the information chain of any organization and are commonly referred to as the “whales.”
Phishing is a significant cybersecurity threat that can have serious consequences for individuals and organizations. By staying vigilant, learning how to recognize phishing attempts, and implementing preventative measures, you can better protect yourself from falling victim to these types of attacks.