Phishing is widely used trick by hackers to steal your sensitive information like passwords, bank details, or personal data (doc, images, videos etc). Hackers approach you by sending emails, text messages, or links that look real but are designed to trick / scam you. In this kind of approach, hackers claim to be from trusted companies or connections and sends you email, links etc asking for your personal information. And when you enter your username/password in fake login page, press enter, then your username and password will be sent to hacker (basic example).
You can avoid these by always checking for red flags such as unexpected messages, grammatical errors, unfamiliar email addresses, or a sense of urgency (like : right now, immediately, act now, not much time).
Official organizations never ask for sensitive information like passwords via email or sms text. Always check the url (website links) by hovering mouse over the given link. If you feel confused always contact the real organization directly by calling them or send email to their real official email (or try to connect with customer support).
A simple example of phishing :
Imagine you receive fake email from bank which is sent by a hacker to trick you claiming that there is suspicious activity detected in your personal bank account, and account should be reviewed right now (as soon as possible). Now it may look exactly like bank's website or login page : once you enter your login credentials, the attacker (hacker) gets your entered information easily without you noticing.
Here's how you can avoid this attack : contact your bank and ask directly about that email or sms, once you know its legit you can surf safely and fix your problem, or if the email was fake then you can discard & report it.
What after you became a victim of phishing attack ?
Don't panic, if possible immediately change your login credentials like your password ,bank pins or any related information. After that inform the organization. Or, if you are confused and cannot technically do these stuffs, then call the bank and report the scenario.
Popular phishing scam text looks like :
"your account will be blocked. verify immediately by clicking this link."
"Congratulations! you've won $10,000. click here to claim."
The future of phishing:
Attackers are using powerful AI tools to be more creative on how they approach victims and to bypass the security measures.
Basic Questions :
1) What should you do if you receive a suspicious email ?
A: Open attachment
B: Ignore it
C: Click the link
D: Report it
Answer D
2) What tactic is often used in phishing?
A: Offer a reward
B: Ask for money
C: Urging Quick action
D: All of the above
Answer D
3) What is main goal of phising ?
A: To give free reward
B: To sell your data
C: To steal sensitive information
D: To offer discount
Answer B&C
Staying alert is your best defense against phishing scams. Follow CyberSafeSteps to learn more tips and keep yourself, your family, and your data safe from online threats. Stay cautious, stay secure !
image via : Image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay
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