Phishing Advice

SecurityAugust 15, 2017

Phishing Advice

Phishing is the activity of defrauding a consumer by posing as a legitimate company.

As technology continues to advance, so does the capabilities and techniques of hackers. Phishing scams and credit card fraud are malicious acts against consumers and it occurs daily.

With their techniques Here are some ways that phishing could potentially gain access to your information.

Certain messages are able to get though the security defenses because they hide in plain sight. They are also made to look enticing, so that you’ll end up clicking on them. The graph below shows some of the most frequent social media email subjects, which would look like an unassuming update. It is important to be careful with emails like this, because an attacker would use one of the most frequented subjects for phishing.

Top Social Media Email Subjects

Email is a highly effective way for phishing to spread. Using email gives the attackers distributive power to create both random and targeted emails. The phishing attack of using general email subjects utilizes psychological triggers and people end up clicking on the email to understand what the email contains. These are the top 10 general email subjects.

The Top 10 General Email Subjects

  1. 21% - Security Alert
  2. 14% - Revised Vacation & Sick Time Policy
  3. 10% - UPS Label Delivery 1ZBE312TNY00015011
  4. 10% BREAKING: United Airlines Passenger Dies
  5. 10% A Delivery Attempt was made
  6. 9% All Employees: Update your Healthcare Info
  7. 8% Change of Password Required Immediately
  8. 7% Password Check Required Immediately
  9. 6% Unusual sign-in activity
  10. 6% Urgent Action Required

Phishers will attack using personal finances as a lure. A financial phishing attack will usually happen with a single email attack. This is much easier to accomplish than a multi-staged attack because personal finances exploits an immediate psychological “knee jerk” impulse.

  • Direct Deposit of Payment on Your Checking Account
  • Irregular Activity on Your SunTrust Online Account
  • Closing Extension/Final Closing Statement
  • Bank transfer of 75,000 USD
  • Drake: Account Validation
  • Threats of Legal Action About Invoice 72393
  • RFQ Quote the Models
  • PayPal: Your account has been limited
  • Your Order #335816 placed on Friday is paid

To learn more about the latest phishing news, please visit, https://www.knowbe4.com/spear-phishing/.

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