What is Phishing?
Phishing is the practice of using social engineering to steal data from victims through email or text messages by impersonating another person or company. Internal or external emails will often be spoofed as a bill, password reset, or login request.
Links and attachments are often used to include malware, which can be used to infiltrate a company network. For scam messages requesting password resets, a copy of a fake website will often be used to mislead the victim into entering their login information, thus stealing their identities.
These scams cost millions of dollars in lost revenue annually and are one of the most popular types of cybercrime to date.
Examples of Phishing Emails:
There are several types of fraudulent send emails that vary in the manner they use. These emails encompass various types of payloads, from crypto to equipment installs, in order to try to steal sensitive data from recipients. Here, we explore a few of the most popular types of phishing emails.
The header of the email can be modified to resemble any specific website to make it seem as if you’re the primary correspondent. Specifically, DMARC records are used by receiving mail servers to check to ensure that servers are permitted to send out emails from the domain in question.
DMARC messages contain a list of the servers that are authorized to send for a particular domain. When an email is received at a domain, the receiving mail server can check for DMARC records to confirm that the server is listed among those authorized to send on behalf of the domain. If the receiving email server is not authorized to send for that domain, the DMARC checks will fail.
Domains that are sometimes mistaken for legitimate ones are often referred to as look-alike domains. For example, a scammer impersonating the domain of wellsfargo.com may register the domain welsfargo.com (note the small difference in spelling) and send out a password reset emails from that address.
Routine applications can also take advantage of lookalike domains. Using the wellsfargo.com overview, a scammer can send an email from that fake address that directs to a phony website that’s a copy of the genuine page. That site is monitored by the attacker, and once the victim enters their password, his information is stolen.
Sophisticated attacks use techniques such as cross-site scripting (XSS). This makes validating domains and internet pages more complicated.
Spear phishing strategies focus on how firms operate, whereas email scams send many messages to find a few victims. The most common attack type for spear phishing campaigns is the creation of customized email messages based on how a company operates.
This could entail registering a similar-looking domain name, using stolen electronic signatures, company logos, and the names of individuals known in the company. Stolen information is often leveraged to create something that appears to be real and urgent. These messages can reach a reasonable level, even as far as discovering your company structure and taking advantage of the hierarchy to heighten the urgency of a cyber scam email.
Spear phishing can impersonate both internal employees and known and trusted vendors with whom the organization has a relationship. Since spear phishing doesn’t rely on a single technique to succeed, it may be difficult for an untrained eye to spot a phishing attempt. Implementing a phishing defense system can help detect and block these kinds of attacks.
Whaling is further targeted than conventional phishing because attackers now impersonate company officials to steal funds from staff. They use this information to command others into making transfers, resetting passwords, or clicking on links without hesitation. Most of the time, there is a clear cause for most whaling in the workplace. For example, the victim, which is usually just an employee, may feel pressured into completing the task quickly.
This is sometimes called CEO fraud, as the whaling seeks to be an executive of a high rank within a company in order to obtain access to the most valuable data that the company possesses. Whaling techniques have changed over the years and may have a victim perform duties such as resetting their login passwords, buying gift cards, or sending sensitive information such as tax forms or other corporate documents.
Attackers can pretend to be staff quite easily by searching on the target company website for details and guessing the formatting of the email address they want to impersonate. Stolen company logos, signatures, and phone numbers are often used to make these email messages seem more credible.
Cybercriminals impersonate well-known brands and target consumers, either via an email message with requests to update account information or to fix an issue fixed. This may redirect the victim to a site that launches an attack to steal personal information or otherwise prompts the victim to call a fake helpline so that scammers can record their number.
The pretext is similar to that of any type of this scam, posing as a substitute, the attacker challenges the recipient to recognize and accept the message before it gives access to the hacked account.
How to Identify Phishing Emails
There are a couple of ways to test if an email is valid or not regardless of sender style. Pay close attention to the sending domain. This is usually the nutshell in distinguishing a scam email. Many times recipients look at the From field and skim through the rest of the message. Attackers can send emails that appear to have been sent from their work domain to their intended target using similar fonts, logos, and signature messages.
When DMARC email authentication is in place to block phishing, miscreants will resort to lookalike domains to frighten victims. If a suspicious email doesn’t correct itself, take a moment or so to make sure that the email address in the From field matches the one on the message. It’s best not to take action until you’re certain you can receive in contact with the sender via the phone at a specified number, not in the email.
After previewing a link, navigate to the site before clicking on the link. You should always defraud suspicious-looking addresses in Internet emails, even if you were directed to them by a close friend or relative.
An attacker is able to receive information when you receive any website using its text box. For instance, the email’s text link could navigate to a URL such as Dropbox—from that page, an attacker can redirect visitors to install malware or steal their information.
Be on the lookout for typographical errors. In the event that mass phishing operations are executed, Horrible mistakes are commonly found in the email name or in the message body. Many scam operations are typically based in other languages, which forces them to use translators who cannot always perform their tasks appropriately.
Keep an eye out for low-resolution branding images appearing in emails. When images are stolen for signatures in emails, they’re usually low-resolution screenshots that have been pasted and re-pasted into the email. While this does not in itself always mean that an email is a fake, it should only be taken seriously.
How to Protect Against Phishing Emails
Unfortunately, it is not possible to download an app and stay totally protected from email-based attacks. You will require a total response strategy for email attacks and defenses. Because these attacks are always evolving, you will also need that your e-mail servers are configured properly and that your staff members are regularly kept abreast of the latest email threats and company policies.
Two-factor authentication can be incorporated with threat detection to help prohibit unapproved information from being accessed outside the organization. Two-factor authentication combines what the user knows, based on their particular account, along with what they own, for example, their smartphone. Should credentials be stolen, the attacker will need to know the individual’s phone to log in to their account.
The TerraEagle Advantage
TerraEagle offers end-to-end solutions to combat phishing attacks that are initiated via email. The automatic system that protects from threats utilizes both signature-based security and behavioral analysis at the same time.
If you’d like to learn more about keeping your organization safe from email-based assaults, see how TerraEagle works in action and sign up for our newsletter for the latest in email security.
