Cyberattacks on firms are nothing uncommon in the digital age, but their severity and frequency have drastically increased. The cause? More and more businesses are adopting digital practices.
Two common cyberthreats a firm can experience are phishing attacks and smishing attacks. The common factor between them is to wrongly persuade individuals to reveal confidential information.
However, there are many differences between the two.
Also Read: Top 3 Emerging Cyberthreats to Be Aware of
Discover how phishing attacks differ from smishing attacks.
By developing a thorough understanding of such attacks, a firm can better protect themselves.
Phishing Attacks Explained
This type of cyberattack is carried out by sending fraudulent emails that generally contain a link to a fraudulent website. Both the email and the website are designed in a manner that makes them seem genuine.
In this manner, the victim is tricked into inputting sensitive personal and company information on a platform they think is real. The information can be any type of data, such as usernames and passwords, card numbers, and more.
It targets individuals on tablets or laptops.
How a Phishing Attack Operates
It all starts with a detailed email that is designed to appear as if it is from a trusted source. It could be an individual’s employer, bank, or some other common agency.
The email outlines a particular problem and how the individual must provide some details to resolve it. At the end, there is a link that redirects to a fake website with spaces to input data.
Other attacks involve direct attachments, which can result in malware being added to the device if downloaded.
How to Identify Them
There are many ways to identify phishing attacks, mostly with the simple act of paying attention.
Most people skim through emails because they receive so many. Instead, one should read each detail, including but not limited to the sender’s address, subject, date of email, entire body copy, and signature.
Look out for any grammatical mistakes. Other identifiers are when it necessitates an action or contains links that do not match an identifiable organization.
Smishing Attacks Explained
It is similar to phishing attacks where the victim receives a fraudulent link, but the medium of operation is through SMS. It primarily targets users on their cellphones.
How a Smishing Attack Operates
A cybercriminal sends out various short-form (due to character limit) text messages where the sender’s name and message resemble that of a trusted source.
It contains a link that will redirect the user on to a fake website, or it might further request that they call a fake number.
Then, the user is guided by the urge to fulfill some specified action on the message before it impacts them either financially or legally.
How to Identify Them
The first step is to verify the sender’s name and contact number. Both can contain mistakes or certain changes that make them seem similar to genuine contacts.
Similar to phishing attacks, look out for any spelling or grammatical errors.
