What is phishing?

Types of Phishing Attacks

• Email Phishing: The most common form of phishing, where attackers send fraudulent emails that appear to be from legitimate sources.


• Characteristics: These emails often contain a sense of urgency, requesting the recipient to click on a link or open an attachment to update account information, verify details, or claim a prize.


• Spear Phishing: A more targeted form of phishing where attackers focus on specific individuals or organizations.


• Characteristics: Spear phishing emails are personalized and often appear to come from someone the recipient knows, such as a colleague or a friend. This personalization makes the attack more convincing and effective.


• Whaling: A type of spear phishing aimed at high-profile targets such as executives, CEOs, or other senior officials within an organization.


• Characteristics: Whaling emails are highly tailored and sophisticated, often involving extensive research on the target to make the email appear legitimate.


• Smishing (SMS Phishing): Phishing attacks conducted via SMS (text messages) instead of email.


• Characteristics: Smishing messages often contain a link or a phone number, urging the recipient to respond with personal information or to click on the link to resolve an urgent issue.


• Vishing (Voice Phishing): Phishing attacks carried out over the phone, where attackers impersonate legitimate organizations to trick victims into providing personal information.


• Characteristics: Vishing calls may claim to be from banks, government agencies, or tech support services, requesting sensitive information or prompting the victim to perform actions that compromise security.


• Clone Phishing: A type of phishing where attackers create a near-identical copy of a legitimate email that the victim has previously received.


• Characteristics: The cloned email contains a malicious link or attachment, disguised as the original content, and is sent from a spoofed address to appear legitimate.

How Phishing Works

• Creating a Sense of Urgency: Phishing emails often create a sense of urgency to prompt quick action from the recipient. This can include threats of account suspension, missed payments, or limited-time offers.


• Impersonation: Attackers impersonate legitimate entities such as banks, government agencies, or well-known companies to gain the recipient's trust.


• Deceptive Links and Attachments: Phishing emails contain links that lead to fake websites designed to steal login credentials or attachments that contain malware.


• Harvesting Information: Once the recipient clicks on the link or provides the requested information, the attackers harvest this data for malicious purposes, such as identity theft, financial fraud, or unauthorized access to accounts.

Preventing Phishing Attacks

• Be Skeptical: Always be cautious of unsolicited emails or messages, especially those that create a sense of urgency or ask for personal information.


• Verify the Source: Before clicking on links or providing information, verify the source by checking the email address, domain, and contacting the organization directly using official contact information.


• Hover Over Links: Hover over links to see the actual URL before clicking. Ensure that the URL matches the legitimate website's domain.


• Check for Signs of Phishing: Look for signs such as poor grammar, spelling mistakes, and generic greetings (e.g., "Dear Customer" instead of your name).


• Use Security Software: Install and maintain up-to-date antivirus and anti-phishing software to detect and block malicious emails and websites.


• Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Use MFA for your accounts to add an extra layer of security, making it harder for attackers to gain access even if they obtain your credentials.


• Educate Yourself and Others: Stay informed about the latest phishing tactics and educate yourself and others on how to recognize and respond to phishing attempts.