Latest Trends in Phishing and How to Protect Yourself Against

1. LATEST TRENDS IN PHISHING AND HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF AGAINST THEM Phishing attacks are not something that has come up recently. Such attacks have been around since the mid 90s, however, overtime, they have become more sophisticated. To make things worse, did you know that 32% of confirmed data breaches involved phishing? (Verizon 2019 Data Breach Investigations Report) And 57% of the organizations report having experienced mobile phishing attacks! (Wandera’s 2020 Mobile Threat Landscape Report).Before moving on to the latest trends in phishing, let us define it. To make things worse, did you know that 32% of confirmed data breaches involved phishing? (Verizon 2019 Data Breach Investigations Report) And 57% of the organizations report having experienced mobile phishing attacks! (Wandera’s 2020 Mobile Threat Landscape Report). Before moving on to the latest trends in phishing, let us define it. When the recipient clicks on the link, it may cause malware installation, hold your system hostage (ransomware attack), or reveal sensitive information caused by a vulnerability in the system.

2. What is Phishing? Phishing is one of the easiest and most common types of cyber attacks used by criminals and among the easiest to fall for as well. It is often used to steal user data such as login credentials, credit card numbers, and other personal information. The attacker, masquerading as a trusted entity, tricks a person into clicking on a link, opening a mail, or a WhatsApp message. Some links might be shortened which causes a challenge to know their legitimacy.When the recipient clicks on the link, it may cause malware installation, hold your system hostage (ransomware attack), or reveal sensitive information caused by a vulnerability in the system.Now that you know what phishing is, let us learn more about the latest phishing trends and ways to protect ourselves from them. What is Spear Phishing? Not all phishing attacks are based on ‘spray and pray’/random techniques where a long list of unknown recipients are targeted. Some cyber criminals rely on a more targeted and personal touch to attack their victims. In spear phishing, the attacker sends emails with the victim’s name, position, number, or other personal information. The victim is tricked into clicking the URL or downloading the attachment and handing over their data. With the amount of personalization in crafting these attacks, it is no surprise that spear phishing is commonplace on various social media platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter. How to avoid it? To guard against spear phishing, organizations must conduct security awareness sessions and discourage their employees from putting sensitive or corporate information on social media. In addition to that, companies must also invest in solutions that analyze inbound emails for certain known malicious links and email attachments. This measure is capable of picking up on indicators for both known malware as well as zero-day threats. Also, organizations can invest in phishing simulation solutions to train employees on the best practices and show them first-hand what might happen when a phishing attack is performed. cerebra.sa Hala@cerebra.sa