Anatomy of a Phishing Attack
Cyber security fraud is a broad area of threat that involves a series of activities and techniques through which an attacker tries to get an individual to divulge some information or perform a specific act that is undesirable or unsafe. In this article, we will discuss about anatomy of a phishing attack.
Anatomy of a Phishing Attack
A Phishing Attack or anatomy of phishing attack can be breakdown into the following steps;
Pretexting
Typically, the first step in the phishing attack involves coming up with an innocent-sounding reason that would make the targeted individual think that the request is authentic. It might be an email from somebody who claims to be a representative of a bank, communication from a close worker, or a notice of an issue with an account.
Phishing Link Delivery Method
Phishing attacks can be delivered through various methods, including:
- Email: The first one is the most widespread one, where attackers create e-mails which seem to come from legitimate organizations.
- SMS (Smishing): Smishing that basically involves phishing through text messages.
- Voice Calls (Vishing): The attackers usually phone the victims in the pretense of being from standard organizations.
- Social Media: Cyber bullying, harassments, or just unsolicited messages on social media.
- Website: Hypertext links which lead to other improper web sites that resemble the genuine ones.
Bait
The bait is the part of the worked out scheme that is supposed to make the target start performing actions in response. This could be:
- Urgent Requests: Messages that make the recipient believe that they require to take some sort of action within a short time as for instance account verification or password reset.
- Rewards: Contests and sweepstakes, coupons, free samples and free trials, gifts and rebates, and refer-a-friend promotions are examples of Fridays promotions.
- Fear: Use of threats of account suspension or legal action in a bid to persuade the user to act.
Exploitation
Once the target interacts with the bait, the attacker may attempt to exploit them in various ways:
- Credential Harvesting: Leading the target to a page that portrays to be a login page and harbours a viewer to input his/her username/password.
- Malware Installation: Energizing the target to install unfriendly software in the computer through manipulating the target.
- Data Collection: Obtaining personal or financial data on persons, through forms, or periodical or occasional questionnaires.
Execution
The attacker performs their plan according to the data or access gained. This could involve:
- Unauthorized Access: Gaining entry into another person’s account to get confidential information or to manipulate data.
- Financial Fraud: Identity theft and fraud- carrying out transactions on a bank account that one cannot legally access.
- Identity Theft: Applying the information of the other person for personal fraudulent.
Cover-Up
At times, people who mount attacks may seek efforts to conceal the incidences from happening so that they do not get in trouble. This can involve:
- Deleting Evidence: Deleting or even hiding logs or any data associated with the attack.
- Disguising Activity: For example through anonymizing or through the use of pseudonyms.
Post-Attack
After a phishing attack, there might be follow-up actions such as:
- Monitoring: The attacker may use the stolen accounts or information for further attack/ Post a link to the blog underneath.
- Phishing Kits: Some of the attackers will dump their stolen data, or phishing tools on the underworld forums.
I hope that now should understood about Anatomy of a Phishing Attack.
What strategy to adapt After being Phished ?
When one comes to the realization that they are being a victim of a phishing attack, then there is need to put as much effort as possible to stop the effects that may result from it. Here’s a step-by-step guide on what to do:
Cease Interaction
Running out of the malicious link or message without responding to it. There is no option for me to interact directly with the sender of the email Instead, do not click any further links, download any attachments, or give personal details.
Disconnect from the Internet
If you have an idea that it could be infected with malware, then disable it and absolutely do not let it connect to the internet.
Change Your Passwords
Immediate Action: People should be advised to change their passwords especially if the accounts that they use frequently may have been hacked. To enhance the security of these accounts, each of them should be protected with a different password.
Additional Accounts: If your consist of similar passwords, it is advisable to change passwords on the other accounts as well.
Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
Make sure you turn on two-factor authentication whether it is available on the accounts which you are using. It enhances security and can mainly help you reduce chances of intrusion even when your password has been Interpol.
Contact Your Organization
Internal IT Team: If the attack was performed on your work account notify the IT department so that they can proceed to counteract the attack.
Financial Institutions: If you used your financial details or credentials on this site, then contact your bank or any other financial institution you used and notify them, and monitor for fraudulent activities.
Report the Phishing Attempt
Email Providers: For instance, look at the email from (example@phishingsite.com) for messages that do not belong to your organization, and block sender for messages you receive from people you do not recognize, and send the reported e -mails to your email service provider using automated report option of your e-mail client like Gmail, outlook etc.
Anti-Phishing Organizations: Safely forward the phishing attempt email to some organizations such as the Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) or any necessary organization.
Local Authorities: In the case where the phishing scams resulted to a damaging of an individual’s monetary worth and or identity, it is advisable to contact the local authorities.
Run a Security Scan
To clean your devices of any signs of malware, ensure that you install authentic antivirus or anti-malware programs to scan your devices. Malware or suspicious files that have been discovered should be deleted.
Monitor Your Accounts
Be very vigilant and check your financial and accounts on social media, professional sites, etc. for any suspicious activity. Where possible it is recommended to have alerts on of any suspicious transactions or changes.
Educate Yourself and Others
Discover when and how phishing can appear and how to find out if it’s a scam. Pass this information to friends, relatives, how to prevent such an attack in the future.
Security practice check and update
Review Security Settings: Review and change your security settings in your accounts and on your gadgets.
Update Software: Check that the operating system, programs, and the security software are of the latest patch or update available.
These measures can assist to reduce the phyton affected and to prevent such occurrence in the future.
Effects of Phishing
Phishing can be very dangerous and has numerous consequences depending upon the type of information stolen. Some of these effects are as below :
- Financial Loss
- Identity Theft
- Unauthorized Access
- Malware Infection
- Reputational Damage
- Legal Consequences
- Operational Disruption
- Emotional and Psychological Impact
- Increased Risk of Further Attacks
Tips to prevent from Phishing
- Verify Sources: So always verify the authenticity of the received requests using the contact details of the organization only in case you know them.
- Be Cautious with Links: It is necessary to look at the links and the URLs of the sites before one actually clicks on them.
- Use Security Software: ES:1 Use current virus and anti phishing software.
- Educate Yourself: It is important that one should keep abreast with standard phishing tricks and how best one can identify them.
Conclusion
This phenomenon is dangerous in the context of the increased use of the internet, affecting psychological factors and technologies. Knowledge of the structures of a phishing attack enables one to easily identify the various steps and factors belonging to the general framework of the attack right from the pretexting stage to the cover-up phase if any.
In case of phishing, once the attack is complete, several defensive measures must be put in place as soon as possible. The ways to stop the attacker are to terminate contact, change passwords and report the attack, and account monitoring. Also, performing security scans and especially making a person learn about the different tactics used by the phishing team go a long way in preventing future attacks. After Understanding about the anatomy of a phishing attack, you can prepare for it better.
