5 Common Phishing Techniques to Watch For

People engage in phishing for various reasons, primarily financial gain and acquiring sensitive information.

Here are some common motivations:

• Financial Gain
  Phishing attacks often aim to trick individuals into revealing their financial information, such as credit card numbers or login credentials for online banking accounts. Attackers can then use this information to steal money directly or sell it on the dark web.
• Identity Theft
  Phishers may seek to steal personal information, such as social security numbers, dates of birth, or addresses, to commit identity theft. This stolen information can be used to open fraudulent accounts, apply for loans, or commit other forms of fraud.
• Corporate Espionage
  Phishing attacks targeting businesses may be carried out by competitors or foreign entities seeking to steal proprietary information, trade secrets, or sensitive corporate data. This information can be valuable for gaining a competitive advantage or conducting espionage.
• Ransomware
  Phishing emails may contain malicious attachments or links that, when clicked, install ransomware on the victim’s device. Ransomware encrypts the victim’s files and demands payment (often in cryptocurrency) for their release. Phishers engage in this type of attack to extort money from individuals or organizations.
• Credential Harvesting
  Phishing attacks frequently aim to harvest login credentials for various online accounts, including email, social media, and cloud storage services. Once obtained, these credentials can be used to access sensitive data, spread malware, or launch further attacks.
• Spamming and Malware Distribution
  Phishing emails may also serve as a vector for distributing spam or malware. By tricking users into clicking on malicious links or downloading infected attachments, phishers can infect their devices with malware, such as viruses, trojans, or keyloggers, which can then be used for various malicious purposes.

Overall, phishing is a lucrative and relatively low-risk method for cybercriminals to obtain valuable information or money, often exploiting human psychology and the trust people place in electronic communication.

Here are five methods of phishing that cybercriminals might use to seperate you from your hard-earned money:

Email Spoofing

Email spoofing is a technique used by attackers to forge the header information of an email to make it appear as if it’s coming from a different sender than the actual one. In other words, the sender’s email address is manipulated to look like it’s from a trusted source, such as a bank, a colleague, or a reputable company, when in reality, it’s from a malicious entity.

Spoofed emails often contain convincing subject lines and messages designed to trick recipients into taking certain actions, such as clicking on malicious links, providing sensitive information, or downloading malicious attachments.

This technique is commonly employed in phishing attacks, where the goal is to deceive recipients into divulging confidential information or performing actions that could compromise their security. For example, a spoofed email might pretend to be from a bank, requesting the recipient to click on a link to update their account information. If the recipient falls for the scam and enters their credentials on the fake website, the attacker can then steal their login credentials and potentially gain unauthorized access to their account.

Ways to Mitigate

To help avoid falling victim to email spoofing and phishing attacks, here are some best practices:

• Check the sender’s email address: Always verify the sender’s email address carefully. Be especially cautious if the sender’s email address looks suspicious, misspelled, or doesn’t match the purported sender’s domain.
• Hover over links before clicking: Before clicking on any links in an email, hover your mouse pointer over them to see the actual URL. Check if the link matches the purported destination. If it looks suspicious or doesn’t match what you expect, don’t click on it.
• Be wary of urgent or suspicious requests: Be cautious of emails that create a sense of urgency or request sensitive information such as passwords, Social Security numbers, or financial details. Legitimate organizations typically don’t request sensitive information via email.
• Enable SPF, DKIM, and DMARC: These are email authentication protocols that help verify the authenticity of email messages. SPF (Sender Policy Framework), DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail), and DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) can help prevent email spoofing by allowing email servers to verify the sender’s identity.
• Use email filtering and security software: Implement robust email filtering and security solutions that can detect and block suspicious emails before they reach your inbox. Many email providers and cybersecurity companies offer advanced filtering and anti-phishing features.
• Educate yourself and your team: Educate yourself and your colleagues about common phishing tactics and how to recognize suspicious emails. Regular training and awareness programs can help reduce the likelihood of falling victim to phishing attacks.
• Report suspicious emails: If you receive a suspicious email, report it to your organization’s IT security team or email provider. Reporting such emails can help improve detection and prevent similar attacks in the future.

By following these best practices and staying vigilant, you can significantly reduce the risk of falling victim to email spoofing and phishing attacks.

Deceptive Links

Deceptive links are a common component of phishing emails and websites. They are URLs embedded within an email or webpage that appear to lead to a legitimate website but actually redirect the user to a malicious or fraudulent site.

Here are some common techniques used to create deceptive links:

• URL Masking
  • Attackers use URL masking techniques to disguise the true destination of a link. They might display a legitimate-looking URL in the email or on the webpage, but the actual link points to a malicious site. For example, a link that appears to lead to “www.paypal.com” could actually redirect the user to a phishing site designed to steal their login credentials.
• Redirects
  • Attackers may use URL redirects to send users to a different website than the one they expect. When a user clicks on a link, they are initially directed to a legitimate site before being redirected to a malicious site. This can make it more difficult for users to detect the deception.
• Homograph Attacks
  • Homograph attacks involve using characters that look similar to legitimate characters in a URL to create a deceptive link. For example, an attacker might use a Cyrillic “a” instead of a Latin “a” in a URL to trick users into clicking on a link that appears to be legitimate but actually leads to a different site.
• Embedded Scripts
  • Phishing emails or websites may contain embedded scripts that dynamically change the destination of a link based on certain conditions, such as the user’s location or device. This makes it harder for users to identify deceptive links by inspecting the URL alone.

Protect Yourself

• Hover over links before clicking on them to see the actual destination URL.
• Check the URL carefully for any suspicious or misspelled domains.
• Avoid clicking on links in unsolicited emails or messages from unknown senders.
• Use security software that can detect and block malicious links.
• Educate yourself and your team about common phishing tactics and how to recognize deceptive links.

Spear Phishing

Spear phishing is a targeted form of phishing attack that is highly personalized and directed at specific individuals or organizations. Unlike traditional phishing attacks, which typically involve sending generic emails to a large number of recipients, spear phishing emails are carefully crafted to appear as if they are coming from a trusted source known to the recipient, such as a colleague, friend, or business contact.

Spear phishing attacks often involve extensive research on the part of the attacker to gather information about the target, such as their name, job title, employer, interests, and connections. This information is then used to customize the phishing email to make it appear more legitimate and convincing.

The goal of spear phishing attacks is usually to trick the recipient into taking a specific action, such as clicking on a malicious link, downloading a malware-infected attachment, or providing sensitive information such as login credentials or financial data.

Spear phishing attacks can be particularly effective because they exploit the trust relationship between the sender and the recipient. By impersonating someone the recipient knows and trusts, such as a coworker or supervisor, the attacker increases the likelihood that the recipient will fall for the scam.

To protect against spear phishing attacks, it’s important to be cautious when opening emails, especially those that appear to be from familiar sources. Verify the sender’s identity by checking the email address and contact the sender directly if you’re unsure about the authenticity of the email. Additionally, be wary of any requests for sensitive information or urgent actions, and consider implementing security measures such as email filtering and employee training to help prevent spear phishing attacks.

Clone Phishing

Clone phishing is a type of phishing attack where the attacker creates a nearly identical copy (or clone) of a legitimate email that the recipient has previously received and possibly acted upon. The cloned email typically replicates the content and format of the original email, including logos, formatting, and even sender information. However, the clone email contains malicious links or attachments that were not present in the original legitimate email.

Here’s how clone phishing typically works:

Obtaining the Original Email

The attacker gains access to a legitimate email that was previously sent to the target. This could be through various means, such as hacking into the recipient’s email account, intercepting email traffic, or accessing compromised email servers.

Creating the Clone

The attacker creates a nearly identical copy of the legitimate email, including all visible elements such as sender information, subject line, and body content. They may also replicate logos, branding, and formatting to make the clone appear authentic.

Injecting Malicious Content

The attacker inserts malicious links, attachments, or other content into the cloned email. These elements are designed to trick the recipient into taking action, such as clicking on a link that leads to a phishing website or downloading malware-infected attachments.

Sending the Clone Email

The attacker sends the cloned email to the target, often with the aim of exploiting their trust in the apparent familiarity of the email. Since the clone email closely resembles a legitimate email the recipient has previously received, they may be more likely to fall for the scam.

Clone phishing attacks can be difficult to detect because the cloned emails closely mimic legitimate communications. However, recipients can mitigate the risk of falling victim to clone phishing by carefully scrutinizing emails for any signs of inconsistency or suspicious elements, such as unexpected requests for sensitive information or unusual sender behavior. Additionally, implementing security measures such as email filtering and user awareness training can help organizations defend against clone phishing attacks.

Pharming

Pharming is a type of cyber attack aimed at redirecting website traffic to a fraudulent website without the user’s knowledge or consent. Unlike traditional phishing attacks that rely on deceptive emails or messages to trick users into visiting fake websites, pharming attacks manipulate the Domain Name System (DNS) or manipulate hosts files on individual computers to redirect users to malicious websites.

Here’s how pharming typically works:

• DNS-based Pharming
  • In DNS-based pharming attacks, the attacker compromises a DNS server or modifies the DNS records of a legitimate website. When a user types in the URL of the legitimate website, the compromised DNS server returns the IP address of the attacker’s fraudulent website instead of the genuine one. As a result, the user is unknowingly directed to the fake website, which may closely resemble the legitimate one, to steal sensitive information such as login credentials, financial details, or personal information.
• Hosts File-based Pharming
  • In hosts file-based pharming attacks, the attacker compromises the hosts file on the victim’s computer. The hosts file is a local file that maps domain names to IP addresses. By modifying the hosts file, the attacker can redirect requests for specific websites to malicious IP addresses controlled by them. This can result in the victim being redirected to fraudulent websites even if the DNS server is not compromised.

Pharming attacks are particularly dangerous because they can be difficult for users to detect. Unlike phishing attacks, which rely on social engineering tactics to trick users into clicking on malicious links or providing sensitive information, pharming attacks can redirect users to fraudulent websites without any interaction on their part.

Protecting Yourself

To protect against pharming attacks, users and organizations can take several precautions:

• Use Reputable DNS Servers
  • Use DNS servers provided by trusted and reputable sources, such as your Internet Service Provider (ISP) or well-known public DNS services like Google Public DNS or OpenDNS.
• Keep Software and Systems Updated
  • Regularly update your operating system, web browser, and security software to patch known vulnerabilities that attackers could exploit to carry out pharming attacks.
• Use HTTPS
  • Websites that use HTTPS encryption provide an additional layer of security by encrypting data transmitted between the user’s browser and the website’s server, making it more difficult for attackers to intercept or manipulate traffic.
• Be Cautious of Unexpected Redirects
  • If you are unexpectedly redirected to a different website, especially when visiting a well-known or trusted site, be cautious and verify the website’s URL and SSL certificate.

By taking these precautions and remaining vigilant, users can reduce the risk of falling victim to pharming attacks. Additionally, organizations can implement security measures such as DNSSEC (Domain Name System Security Extensions) and monitoring for unusual DNS activity to detect and mitigate pharming attacks.