The term Phishing (pronounced ‘fishing’) is used to describe a popular method by which cyber criminals trick you into revealing personal information. The information stolen can range from passwords and birth dates, to that which can offer more extensive damage, such as social security data, bank account information, and credit card numbers.
How it’s Done
Cybercriminals “phish” their next victim by sending fraudulent emails or directing you to a fake website. Well-known phishing examples are phony emails from the IRS asking for your social security number; a “prince” emailing you from another country, saying that you have inherited a large sum of money if you can just confirm your identity; and in more recent years, emails that appear to come from a work colleague that state they are stuck at an airport or hotel, and they have lost their company card. Can you please wire them money? These emails may look legitimate at first glance, but they are all prime examples of phishing.
The Victims
Unfortunately, anyone with valuable data is a potential victim of phishing. Cybercriminals don’t discriminate, and they will reach out to anyone and everyone with the understanding that SOMEONE will eventually fall for their nefarious tricks.
In this 3-part blog series, we’ll delve into phishing and take a look at how you can protect yourself. Here are a few of the topics we’ll cover:
- Types of phishing: What it looks like, and the forms it may take
- Threat vectors and threat types
- Protection: How you can protect yourself and how you can deploy a strategy of threat protection for your company
By the time we get to the last blog, you’ll have a strong idea on how to identify a phishing attack and how you can assess your threat vectors and keep your information safe.
Did you know DomainTools has solutions to keep you ahead of cybersecurity risks? Learn more
Want to read more about Phishing? Please visit the resources below,
Monitor the Internet for ‘Phishy’ Domains
The Beginner’s Guide to Mitigating Phishing Attacks
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