Phishing

Phishing is a type of cyber attack where attackers disguise themselves as trustworthy entities to trick individuals into revealing sensitive information, such as passwords, credit card numbers, or personal details. Phishing is commonly carried out through deceptive emails, websites, or messages.

Phishing attacks Exploit human trust by impersonating reputable organisations or individuals, aiming to mislead victims into sharing confidential data or downloading Malware. These attacks are often generic, targeting a broad audience rather than specific individuals or organisations.

The purpose of Phishing is to gather sensitive information or spread Malware by deceiving users. It remains one of the most common forms of cyber attack due to its simplicity and effectiveness, especially against those unaware of the warning signs. Phishing can lead to Data Breaches, financial losses, and compromised security.

Phishing is typically executed by sending fraudulent emails or messages that appear to come from legitimate sources, often containing links to fake websites that closely resemble real ones. Once users enter their details, the information is captured by the attackers. In other cases, Phishing emails may contain attachments that install Malware on the victim’s device.

Examples of Phishing include an email posing as a bank notification requesting users to verify their account by logging in through a provided link, providing your credentials on the fake login page, giving the malicious actors access to your account. A message claiming to be from a popular online retailer asking for billing information for account arears (which is false). Another common tactic is posing as IT support to harvest login credentials.

Phishing is challenging to prevent entirely due to the ease with which attackers can create realistic-looking messages. Organisations can mitigate the risk by educating employees, using email filtering, and implementing multi-factor Authentication (MFA) to protect accounts. Recognising suspicious signs, such as unexpected requests for information, is essential for avoiding Phishing scams.