Phishing attacks are a form of social engineering attack aimed at tricking individuals into divulging sensitive or confidential information. The attacker often poses as a trustworthy entity through email, instant messaging, or other communication channels to lure the victim into clicking on malicious links, downloading harmful attachments, or directly providing sensitive information like usernames, passwords, and credit card numbers.
Preparation: The attacker chooses a target and crafts a convincing message or website.
Attack Launch: The phishing message is sent to the victim via email, instant messaging, or another medium.
Interaction: The victim interacts with the phishing message, often clicking a link or opening an attachment.
Data Harvesting: The victim unknowingly provides sensitive information, either by filling out a form on a fake website or by direct interaction with the attacker.
Phishing attacks can have serious consequences:
Identity Theft: Victims risk having their identities stolen, leading to financial loss and credit damage.
Financial Fraud: Direct access to financial accounts can result in unauthorised transactions.
Data Breach: In an organisational context, phishing can lead to massive data breaches, affecting both clients and the company itself.
Loss of Reputation: Being a victim of phishing can severely damage personal and organisational reputation.
Preventing Phishing attacks involves:
Education and Training:Educate staff and family on recognizing phishing attempts and the importance of not clicking on suspicious links.
Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Implement 2FA wherever possible to add an additional layer of security.
Secure Websites: Ensure that you only provide personal or financial information on secure websites (https://).
Regularly Update Security Software: Keep antivirus and other security software up-to-date.
