The number of internet users has witnessed exponential growth over the years. As the number increases, there is an increase in the number of data breaches.
Defining and Differentiate Spear-Phishing from Phishing
Hackers are always trying to get hold of PII (Personally Identifiable Information.) While the primary target is businesses, there has been an increased targeting of individuals too.
According to Verizon’s 2021 Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR), phishing among the significant activities, and 43% of breaches resulted from such action. Hackers send phishing emails to several individuals, expecting a few of them to fall into their trap.
There are occasions where hackers target specific people through spear-phishing. How do we define spear phishing? We will learn this and more in this article.
Definition of Spear-Phishing
Let us now discuss in detail what is spear-phishing. It involves electronic communication targeted at a specific individual or company. It is usually a means to get hold of sensitive information. It can also be used to install malware on the computer fraudulently.
Usually, the email comes from a trustworthy source. It will lead the unsuspecting user to a bogus website.
Cybercriminals undertake these attacks to pass on sensitive information to other parties. Social engineering techniques are employed in these attacks. They can be targeted against the top executives of the company, and personalized emails are used too.
It is among the common forms of attacks that are undertaken against individuals.
What Is Phishing?
A cyberattack involves an attacker using an email as their weapon to target their victims. The recipient is tricked into believing that the email comes from a renowned brand. It could be a bank, for example, that would lure the victim into clicking onto the email. The chances of success are increased as the attacker uses the bait of a trusted entity when designing the email.
Difference with Phishing
How can we differentiate spear-phishing from generic phishing techniques? First, they can be confused to be the same as they are both online attacks that aim at receiving confidential information from individuals.
Phishing is a universally used term whereby the victims are tricked into sharing their sensitive data. It could be their login details or even financial information.
While attackers disguise themselves as trustworthy, they use social media and phone calls to meet their objectives. The spear-phishing attacks are personalized attacks against individuals and appear to come from a trusted entity.
It requires more time to be devoted to addressing the victim with specific points that are to be included in the email. The aim is to get as much information as possible from the target.
The emails are personalized to the extent that it becomes virtually impossible to assess them and check whether they come from authentic sources. In addition, these attacks are difficult to identify and utilize widely used methods to get information from specific people.
How Does Spear-Phishing Work?
These emails are mainly targeted at top executives or those who put up information on the internet. The hackers would visit the social media profiles of the target and the contact information.
It could be the email address or contact number. They can also find the geographic location or the friend list. They can also find out additional information necessary to write a personalized email.
The attacker will utilize the information gathered to send a personalized email. Like all other emails, the emails will contain information that could increase the success of their attack.
The victims would be lured to click on the email and led to a bogus website to provide their personal information.
The hacker can also use information or pictures from social media to address their victims. Once they get the needed information, they can use it for their malicious ends.
How Can You Avoid a Spear-Phishing Attack?
Lock the Personal Information.
Attackers can initiate an attack if they get to know more about you. They can get hold of information from social media and know your contacts and other information about you.
You must secure your social media accounts and enable two-factor authentication to ensure that none will have access to your accounts.
Double-Check with the Sender.
When you have doubts about any email, always call up the sender to verify details. It will help you confirm whether the email is authentic, and you can undertake the activities requested in the email.
While the email content may require you to take urgent action, it will help talk to the sender and confirm whether the sender sent the email in the first place.
(Source: https://us.norton.com/internetsecurity-malware-what-spear-phishing.html)
Check the Signs of a Scam.
These emails or messages will make you visit a spammy website. Most of us often click on links without double-checking the source of the email. Hackers usually take advantage of this activity.
Always look at the sender filed and assess whether the sender’s name is spelled correctly. Many times, the website will not be spelled correctly.
Businesses also have their bit to do here. To ensure the safety of users, they must install an SSL certificate. This will ensure encryption of the in-transit data that transpires between the web browser and the client-server.
Selecting the perfect kind of SSL certificate for your bespoke business needs is essential. For example, if there are several domains to secure, the business must install a multidomain SSL that will prevent the hackers from hijacking the brand’s identity.
With the installation of this single cert, the businesses can be assured of extending premium security to up to 250 SANs (varies from provider to provider.) A cost-effective method, it also eliminates the hassle of maintaining separate single-domain SSL certs for every domain.
Hovering over the links can show the full URL and help you decide whether it is safe to click the link. Also, check the salutation, and if you do not find your name when the mail must address you directly, it should ring an alarm. Check the email for grammatical mistakes too.
Check What You Post Online.
The attackers will investigate the information posted online. Always keep your social media accounts locked and prevent unknown people from accessing your friend list. Do not engage with unknown people on social media.
Also, have robust passwords that will prevent the attackers from having ready access to your accounts.
Keep the Software Updated.
Data protection software can help you protect yourself from such attacks. Businesses can use the software to safeguard sensitive data from any unauthorized access.
It would be best to keep your software updated as it will protect you from such attacks. If you have problems remembering to download these updates, you may enable notifications. They will keep you informed when there are any new updates.
Enabling automatic updates can also make the job easier for you.
Conclusion
Hackers are also targeting individuals, especially top executives in organizations, to get their sensitive information.
Compromising through emails can cause severe loss of business too. These are usually unknown threats, and only the known sources can be blocked. It would be best if you had adequate processes in place to prevent these attacks.
The article has discussed what spear-phishing is and how to avoid them.
References:
- https://www.csoonline.com/article/2117843/what-is-phishing-how-this-cyber-attack-works-and-how-to-prevent-it.html
- https://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-avoid-a-spear-phishing-attack-4-tips-to-keep-you-safe-from-timeless-scams/
- https://www.barracuda.com/glossary/phishing-spear- phishing#:~:text=Phishing%20and%20spear%20phishing%20are,primarily%20a%20matter%20of%20targeting.&text=Spear%20phishing%20emails%20are%20carefully,a%20single%20recipient%20to%20respond.
- https://digitalguardian.com/blog/what-is-spear-phishing-defining-and-differentiating-spear-phishing-and-phishing
- https://www.kaspersky.co.in/resource-center/definitions/spear-phishing
- https://www.vadesecure.com/en/blog/whats-the-difference-between-phishing-and-spear-phishing
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