Have you ever heard of a phishing ? While the internet offers many advantages and conveniences for our daily lives, it's also full of threats to the security of your information . Fake websites, corrupted banners, spoofed emails, and SMS messages with malicious links can all pose a real threat to the security of your devices and the confidentiality of your data.
One of the tactics used by cybercriminals is the so-called phishing attack. This strategy involves planting bait and traps to fraudulently collect information, with the aim of using this data in fraud and financial scams.
How is phishing carried out?
There are several ways to commit phishing today. Let's look at the main tactics used by criminals below:
- Common fishing;
- Spear phishing;
- Clone phishing;
- Whaling;
- Vishing and Smishing;
- Phishing through social media.
What will differentiate the type of phishing attack is the channel used and the targets targeted. Contrary to popular belief, phishing attacks don't just happen via email: they can arrive via voice calls, SMS services, fake websites, social media, and many other platforms.
Because of this wide variety, it's essential to be very careful with any content that seems suspicious to avoid data leaks and financial scams.
What is the origin of this type of scam?
Although it appears to be a recent form of scam, phishing has been used since the 1990s . Initially, phishing attacks were used to steal and defraud accounts from AOL – America Online, an internet service provider that pioneered this field. The portal remained active in Brazil until mid-2008.
Using methods to uncover account and credit card numbers , criminals forged passwords and siphoned off information. Because the internet was still very difficult to obtain at the time, it required a fee, and many users couldn't afford access.
To boost sales, AOL began offering a 30-day free trial, which attracted rogue users who wanted to continue using the service for free. To ensure they could continue using the service for free, cybercriminals began hijacking legitimate users' accounts to maintain their access .
How can it harm your business?
Phishing attacks are a strategy that cybercriminals continue to use because they can still be very effective. Unlike attacks that involve installing malicious software and applications, phishing attacks exploit the user's own vulnerability to be successful.
While data loss can be a significant loss for an individual, it can be alarming and catastrophic for a business . This type of attack can have many consequences for a business, including:
- Loss of trust with consumers: Companies that expose the confidential information of their customers and suppliers, even if due to a cyberattack, may lose their trust in the market.
- Loss of competitiveness: when it comes to competitiveness, the more secure the information, the better positioned the company will be.
- Unavailability of information: Some phishing attacks can lead to even more aggressive attacks, such as ransomware . In this type of strategy, cybercriminals "hijack" data or make systems available, demanding a ransom payment for the information to be returned.
- Financial loss: Depending on the consequences of the attack, it may be necessary to invest in solutions to mitigate the damage caused, pay a ransom to recover the information, and even pay compensation to customers affected by the data breach.
What to do in the face of an attack of this type?
The first tip to avoid falling into phishing traps is: if you receive an email, text message, or social media message that seems suspicious, don't open it. To identify these types of traps, it's crucial to be alert for signs that the information isn't true.
See below a very common example of phishing “bait”:
Note that an inattentive and uninitiated user will glance quickly and not realize that this is bait for a phishing attack.
Within the company, if a user receives any type of notification that appears malicious or suspicious, it's crucial that they contact the appropriate IT team . If, for any reason, an employee accesses a link or enters information on a potentially fraudulent website, it's crucial that the appropriate security measures be brought to the attention of those responsible, so that appropriate security measures can be taken as quickly as possible.
To prevent this type of problem from occurring, your company can use an internet access control system to more effectively manage access within the company. This type of tool helps indiscriminately accessing dangerous websites
Do you know your company's internet security? Click here for a free assessment of your business's status!
