Phishing Attacks
20 Types of Attacks and How to Defend Yourself

Introduction Understanding the Threat of Phishing

Phishing attacks are a persistent cyber threat, targeting individuals and organizations alike. These scams aim to steal your sensitive information, such as usernames, passwords, and financial details. This guide breaks down 20 types of phishing attacks, providing examples and actionable prevention tips to protect you.

Sharing personal information online is commonplace. Cybercriminals exploit this by crafting sophisticated phishing attacks. This guide helps you recognize and defend against these deceptive tactics.

Spear Phishing Targeted Attacks

Spear phishing is a highly targeted attack, impersonating a trusted source to steal your information. Unlike broad phishing attempts, it focuses on specific individuals or groups.

An example is an email pretending to be from your boss, requesting sensitive company data. Always double-check the sender's email address.

Prevention Tip: Verify the sender's email address and be wary of urgent requests for information.

HTTPS Phishing Deceptive Websites

HTTPS phishing uses malicious websites to trick you into entering your personal information. Phishers hide links to these sites within emails or messages.

For example, an email claiming to be from Instagram might ask you to log in. The link leads to a fake website designed to steal your credentials.

Prevention Tip: Always carefully check the URL of a website before logging in and ensure it uses HTTPS.

Email Phishing The Most Common Threat

Email phishing is a prevalent attack where attackers impersonate legitimate entities to obtain your information. They hope you'll reply with sensitive data.

A common example is an email disguised as a message from a relative, requesting personal details. Once the attacker has your information, it can be used for fraudulent activities.

Prevention Tip: Verify the sender's identity before responding. Be cautious of unsolicited emails asking for personal information.

Social Engineering Manipulating Human Behavior

Social engineering uses psychological manipulation to trick people into giving away private information. Scammers often research their targets to make the scams more convincing.

A cybercriminal might contact you, pretending to be a friend in urgent need of money, using an elaborate story to play on your emotions.

Prevention Tip: Remain calm if you receive an urgent request. Take time to assess the situation and seek a second opinion.

Angler Phishing Customer Service Impersonation

Angler phishing involves attackers impersonating customer service agents on social media. They try to steal your personal information or infect your device with malware.

An example is a fake Twitter account posing as customer service for American Airlines. Unlike the official account, it won't be verified.

Prevention Tip: Always verify the account before responding, following any instructions, or clicking links.

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Staying informed about phishing tactics is the first step in protecting yourself.

Security Expert

Clone Phishing Replicating Legitimate Emails

Clone phishing involves attackers replicating legitimate emails, adding a malicious link or attachment. The cloned email might contain phrases like 'resending' to appear authentic.

An example is receiving two identical emails, one legitimate and the other from a similar, but fake, email address.

Prevention Tip: Watch out for duplicate emails. Always check the sender's address.

Vishing Phishing Over the Phone

Vishing is a phishing method using social engineering over the phone to obtain valuable information. The scammer pretends to be a trusted source.

For instance, a call from someone claiming to be from your bank, informing you of compromised credit card accounts, and requesting your personal data.

Prevention Tip: If you receive a suspicious call, hang up immediately. Verify the caller's identity by contacting the company directly using their official number.

Pharming Redirecting Your Traffic

Pharming uses malicious code or software to redirect your web traffic to fake websites. You unknowingly expose your private information.

An example of pharming is when you are redirected to unsecure websites (HTTP instead of HTTPS) or receive a “your connection is not private” error.

Prevention Tip: Avoid visiting unsecured websites and make sure your antivirus software is up-to-date.

Watering Hole Phishing Targeting Specific Groups

Watering hole phishing targets a group of people by compromising a website they frequently use. Attackers try to infect users’ devices with malware.

A cybercriminal may exploit a security flaw on a website used by employees. They can then steal information from visitors.

Prevention Tip: Use antivirus software to add an extra layer of security when browsing the web.

Whaling Executive-Targeted Attacks

Whaling attacks target high-level executives, attempting to steal money or private information. This is also called 'executive phishing.'

An example is a phishing email claiming to be from a high-level executive in your company, requesting urgent assistance with a financial matter and asking for login credentials or a wire transfer.

Prevention Tip: If you receive a suspicious email from a colleague, contact them directly to confirm its authenticity.