Cyber crime is increasing rapidly. It seems we all live in fear of being attacked by cyber criminals. As time goes on and efforts are made to stop this, they will inevitably change their methods and try to scam us in some new and concerning and believable way. I am sure we have all experienced phishing on our devices. What exactly is phishing?
What is phishing?
Phishing is when a cyber criminal tries to trick you by sending you a fake message. This is with the hopes that you will pass on some sensitive and private information, or so that they can upload some malicious software on to your devices or network. As mentioned above, the methods are becoming more and more devious. They can now even mirror the website they want to take over so that they can see what you as the victim are doing as you move around the site. They will also use this fact in telephone conversations with you to lull you into a false sense of security. By doing this, you will often end up doing a lot of the work for them without even realising what is going on.
This danger is very real and is happening all the time. It is absolutely the main way that cyber criminals work to attack people and organisations. And it is only increasing in its intensity. Many laws are now in place against this, and we see campaigns aimed at raising awareness so people can protect themselves and their businesses.
The most common phishing that takes place is through email messages. Links will be attached that when clicked on will open you up to having information or money, or both, stolen. It also leaves you open to having malware installed which could potentially leave your whole network of devices vulnerable and in danger. These are usually sent out as mass emails, going to many different people at once.
The problem is, these can be so realistic. People are often left feeling foolish afterwards and like they should have seen it and prevented it. But the fact is, they are very believable. They can create sites that look exactly like a site you have accessed hundreds of times so you would never know any different, until it is too late.
Another type of phishing is when the cyber criminals choose a specific target organisation or person and attack them. They will send multiple emails and messages to the same person with the objective of making the person think this is the real deal and can be trusted.
These cyber criminals also target mobile phones now and I am sure you have received some of these messages yourselves, A common one I have personally seen many times is under the ruse that it is from a delivery company, often telling you that they were unable to deliver your package and you need to click on the link to arrange for the item to be delivered again. The problem is, especially since the start of the pandemic, home deliveries of items are very popular. The same message will be sent out to hundreds or thousands of phones at once, and many of those people will be expecting a parcel that day. If they are already expecting a parcel, they may not think twice about clicking on the link to try and sort out what has happened and get their parcel as soon as possible. It won’t work on everyone each time, especially if someone knows for sure that they will not get any parcels that day. But out of all the people they send the message to, they will get something back from it and so it is worth it to them. So, with all this danger to us through our devices, and as these cyber criminals are continually changing their methods, what can be done so that we can protect ourselves?
Is anti phishing software the protection we need?
Anti phishing software is there to distinguish between real content and fake content on devices and websites and emails that you use or read. Usually, it gives you the option to see the actual domain name, helping you see if it is really the official website of somewhere or a scam. It will bring warnings up on your screen to alert you to the fact an email or a website may be a scam, but still leaving it up to you whether or not you wish to proceed. It is constantly scanning for any dangers and alerts you to these instantly. If you are entering a new site, it will scan there and then and alert you before you even enter the site.
Anti phishing is not fool proof, it is not a one hundred percent guarantee that you will be safe. But it certainly makes you a lot safer than you are without it. While still needing to remain vigilant yourself, It will detect the majority of phishing scams and alert you to them immediately. The reason it can’t be completely effective is because it is not only scanning for any potential attacks, but it is also trying to verify legitimate sites. It can happen occasionally, and I am sure you will agree it is not good, where a site that is actually legitimate raises alarm bells and you receive warnings that it could be dangerous when in fact, it is not. This can affect people’s businesses if others are incorrectly being warned away from their site. So, there are things to be aware of and the software works hard to get it as right as possible. Most of the time it is successful, but occasionally it will get it wrong.
Summary
Phishing is so rife now that none of us can ignore it, or mistakenly assume that we will not fall victim to it. There are many different ways that we could be targeted, and we need to be sure to have the best protection we can. While we still need to be alert and question messages we receive, even if we receive them from someone we know or are used to dealing with in business, this alone is not enough. We need to have anti phishing software to make sure we are protected as much as possible.
