Phishing – How to Protect Yourself From Phishing Attacks
Phishing is a cyberattack that uses deception to trick victims into providing information like account credentials or Social Security numbers. Attackers can then use this sensitive data to take over bank accounts, run up credit cards and create fraudulent identities that can be difficult or impossible to unravel.
While phishing has been around for more than 20 years, it’s still a very successful way for attackers to gain access to our personal and business information. Attackers can use a variety of techniques to target victims and the world in which we work is constantly changing. For example, attacks can be conducted via email, text messages or social media and the rise of AI voice generators makes it easier to sound like a manager or family member over the phone.
Some phishing scams are very basic, targeting people using photos ripped from the internet or stock imagery and asking them to click a link. Others are more sophisticated, claiming to be a financial institution requesting verification of non-existent purchases or an online shop that needs confirmation of a wire transfer. Attackers also frequently employ scare tactics by suggesting that there’s an arrest warrant out for the victim, a bogus family emergency or some other threat.
Attackers also often rely on pop-up phishing in which fake computer alerts appear to notify users that their computers are infected and convince them to install specific types of malware or buy fake antivirus software they don’t need. These phishing techniques are easier for criminals to perpetrate because they can be delivered directly to users through their web browser or via the apps on their mobile devices.