What is Phishing?
Phishing is a broad term for any fraudulent messages that aim to trick its receivers into revealing sensitive info.
The attacker usually ‘spoofs’ (alters) their address/number to disguise themselves as someone known to the victim, or someone in a position of influence.
Types of Phishing
Many terms have been coined for phishing targeted at particular victim types or methods of distribution.
Examples of distribution methods
- Smishing – phishing conducted via text messages or messaging services.
- Vishing – phishing conducted via voice, usually by phone.
- Page hijack/clone – phishing conducted via an altered website that looks legitimate, but gathers the victim’s data.
- Clone Phishing – phishing conducted via a cloned, previously legitimate email which has had it’s attachments/links changed.
Examples of victim types
- Spamming – phishing conducted without any particular target in mind.
- Spear phishing – phishing aimed at a particular person or organisation.
- Whaling – phishing aimed at a CEO, manager or senior official.
Protecting yourself
- Never reveal sensitive information to any unknown persons via email/message, or follow any unknown links.
- Email or call the person directly who has requested payment/sensitive information.
- Make sure a spam filter is enabled on your email account.
- Enable Two Factor Authentication on all possible accounts.
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