What are Phishing attacks?
Phishing is on the rise and can, therefore, affect anyone using email, text messaging, or any other form of communication. Phishing attacks are one form of social engineering which is different from typical cyberattacks that target networks and systems. Instead, social engineering makes use of human vulnerabilities, enticing or compelling with fabricated stories and applying psychological pressure to make people disclose information that unknowingly compromises themselves or their organizations.
Phishing means an attempt to retrieve sensitive information such as username, password, credit card details, bank account, or other valuable personal data, generally through misuse or selling to others. The name “phishing” plays with the word “fishing” because scammers cast a wide net of fake messages hoping to catch unwary targets.
According to a report recently published by cybersecurity firm Check Point, tech companies continue to be among the prime targets for phishing attacks, with brand impersonation at the very core. For the first quarter of this year, Microsoft had topped the list with 38% impersonations in phishing attempts, followed by Google with 11%.
These phishing schemes have now become much more sophisticated; the emails are designed to appear legitimate to any unsuspecting recipient. In this way, the aim is to dupe users into divulging sensitive information, such as login credentials, which may result in personal and corporate security breaches.
While tech companies are targeted very frequently, even retail sectors don’t have their backs to the wall. In February 2024, the major European retailer Pepco Group was targeted by cyber crooks in an expensive phishing scam. The cost of that social engineering attack, according to experts, was around €15.5 million.
Irene Coyle, COO at OSP Cyber Academy, thinks the fraudsters probably spoofed employee company email addresses, thereby hoodwinking the finance staff into allowing transfers to the attackers’ accounts. Many have said that because of the attack, which involved advanced AI tools, it may have been nearly impossible for the victims to catch the fraud.
Types of Phishing attacks:
Scammers send fake emails pretending to come from trusted companies or people. This happens more than any other type of phishing.
Attackers zero in on particular people or groups. They often use personalized information to increase their credibility.
This is a type of spear phishing that goes after big fish like company bosses, executives or politicians.
Attackers use text messages instead of emails to trick people.
Fraudsters make phone calls to fool their victims. It’s like phishing but with voices.
Scammers make almost exact copies of actual emails, swapping out the original links or attachments for harmful ones.
A trickier scam that sends people to fake websites instead of the real ones they want to visit often without them noticing.
Criminals use social media to impersonate profiles of legitimate accounts. Once they have gotten good results, they send a fake message or share a fraudulent link that makes users provide personal information or login credentials. Always check the profile and avoid suspicious links.
Scammers create fake websites that appear on search results, keeping really enticing offers in front of the user. Once you give them your details, this information becomes compromised. So, in order not to get scammed, you need to take a closer look at the URL address and be suspicious of deals that seem too good to be true.
Business Email Compromise (BEC):
BEC attacks involve the posting of emails from executives or trusted business partners in order to trick employees into transferring money or sensitive information. These scams are very sophisticated and require great care in handling financial transactions and sensitive information.
This is a form of phishing taking place over social media via scammers impersonating themselves as customer service representatives in order to obtain the personal details of users through fake support messages. And if you ever doubt it, immediately contact companies through their official sources of contact.
Malvertising is when cybercriminals disguise malicious code in online ads. If you click on these ads, you may be routed to unsafe websites or inadvertently install malware on your device. To protect yourself, consider ad blockers and always keep your browser up to date.
Tools Used for Phishing:
Zphisher is a tool designed to make it easy for the attacker to generate fraudulent login pages for Facebook, Instagram, Google, or any other favorite websites and social media platforms. The aim of the attack is to get the user to enter credentials, which will then be stolen by the attacker. It is widely used because it’s simple and can clone various sites. Check out our link for the Zphisher tool.https://www.stratosally.com/offensive-security/zphisher-a-phishing-tool-376
GoPhish:
GoPhish is a phishing toolkit for companies and security teams to test employees’ vulnerability to phishing. It allows users to create phishing campaigns, track who opens the emails, and see if anyone falls for the scam. It’s mostly used for training and awareness in corporate environments.
SEToolkit (Social Engineer Toolkit):
The SEToolkit automates social engineering attacks, including phishing. It offers a wide range of attack methods, from email sending with malicious links down to creating fake websites. Security professionals, too, often use it to test the defenses of their networks against such attacks.
As the name suggests, it is also a phishing tool. Similar to Zphisher, it generates fake login web pages. Attackers use this tool to steal login credentials by making users believe that they are logging into any legitimate website. Easy to use and more often chosen by novices just wanting to get a taste of the phishing world. Check out the link for the 69Phisher tool. https://www.stratosally.com/offensive-security/phishing-attack-69phisher-tool-1339
KingPhisher:
KingPhisher is a tool for simulating phishing attacks and will help determine how good one’s phishing defence mechanisms are. One can craft highly customizable emails and monitor the results of phishing campaigns in real time, allowing companies to evaluate how aware and trained their employees are for this kind of attack.
SocialFish:
SocialFish is a toolkit that creates fake login pages for social networks such as Facebook and Instagram. The attacker deploys the kit to steal user credentials by creating a trap for unsuspecting victims to think they are logging in to their accounts. It is pretty straightforward, thus making it accessible even for the amateur phisher.
Evilginx2:
Evilginx2 is more sophisticated than spoofing login pages. It also acts like a “man-in-the-middle.” In other words, it sniffs out not just login credentials but also steals session cookies. Attackers use this capability to bypass two-factor authentication. It is a powerful tool and is usually used in higher-order phishing attacks.
