Think about it: With all the advancements of technology over the years, the greater the risk for cyber attacks. A cyber attack is costly and could even bring you out of business if you are not careful. In our times today, nobody knows which businesses a hacker or a group of hackers might try to breach. It’s even hard for some to even know that they have already been breached. Even big companies sometimes take time to realize that their data is already out in the open for a few months. Now, that is very alarming.
There are different ways for hackers to steal your data and other valuable information. You can avoid unintentionally giving hackers access to your sensitive information by understanding the major distinctions between smishing, phishing, and vishing. To gather sensitive information, phishing employs emails and links, smishing uses text messages or popular messaging services, and vishing uses voice calls and voicemails.
Here are the key differences between Smishing, Phishing, and Vishing:
Smishing – Now this one is by the use of text messaging. SMishing is the practice of using text messages to entice receivers to visit a website or input personal data. Authentication messages or messages that look to be from a banking institution or other service provider are common tactics. Even more cunningly, some SMishing tries to spread by sending itself to every contact listed on the device.
To win the recipients’ trust, the criminal frequently employs strategies to make it appear as though they are a reputable company, such as utilizing an official logo or similar phone number. Your name and address may be included in the prompted message, which may be looked up online, but it presents the fraud as an official one.
The recipient is more likely to fall for the scam when the message contains a time-sensitive instruction like “Click the link today to avoid a late-fee.” Links contained within these messages may download malicious software that jeopardizes the security of your phone. Scammers get access to sensitive information like emails, messages, phone records, and even banking information thanks to the implanted malware.
Smishing can also jeopardize your information by asking you to visit a particular URL website. The website can request that you enter delicate information to verify your identity, at which point the con artists will have full access to it.
Always call your specific institution to confirm that a message was sent on their behalf if you discover that you have received an unexpected communication from someone pretending to be a bank, utility, or mortgage employee. To be sure you are not the victim of a smishing scam, it is always best to double-check with the “company” that delivered the message.
Phishing – This is a type of social engineering attack. This is when you get an email from someone you know or from a very reputable institution. This email would sometimes contain a link or an attachment that urges you to click on them. Once you’re done clicking, a malware would be installed, breach of your data, or other forms of attack.
While targeted attacks, like this email blast, are the most frequent type of phishing, there are instances where the scammer specifically targets a victim based on their social or financial standing. This kind of attack frequently comes with a thorough message that appears to be written just for you. It frequently urges you to click a link with a deadline or go to a particular website.
A screen that appears after you click an embedded link or visit a risky URL will probably ask you to enter details like your complete name, social security number, bank account information, and more. This can result in identity theft and fraud.
Do not open any emails that seem strange or come from addresses you are unfamiliar with. When you open an email and realize the sender is unknown or the message sounds suspicious, delete it right away and refrain from accessing any images, links, or URLs.
Vishing – This one is actually happening a lot nowadays. Similar to email and SMS, vishing tricks you by leaving a message on your voicemail instructing you to call a seemingly trustworthy number that is actually a faked one. When you call the number, you are forced to comply with a set of instructions that are purportedly meant to solve an issue. You are actually being duped into downloading malware onto your own machine.
In order to win your trust, criminals frequently use fake identities or appear as employees of reputable companies or banks. Your birthday or social security number may be requested as identification, which they may use to access your personal accounts or information.
Since they frequently use blocked phone numbers and sound like legitimate employees of the firm they are impersonating, these types of scams can be challenging to spot. The voicemails frequently encourage you to call them right away in order to avoid things like overdraft penalties and late charges or to save your account from being closed.
Scammers phone you and use cleverly developed scripts to fool you into providing personal information once you answer or return the call. Ignoring calls from blocked or unknown numbers is the best defense against a vishing scam. Call the actual corporation or business they are impersonating to determine whether the call was legitimate if a vishing scammer leaves a message urging you to return the call.
CONCLUSION:
It’s critical to have a precautionary plan in place because a significant portion of people use emails, texts, and phone conversations to conduct personal and professional business. If you get a call, email, or text claiming to be from an employee, always confirm with the relevant businesses or enterprises. A quick follow-up communication can prevent a dangerous cyber attack from happening to you.
Being careful is one way to prevent your company from an attack. It is a good idea to educate your employees about how to be safe and to secure your company’s valuable data. It is better to be safe than sorry. If you want to be sure that you are prepared for a cyberattack, you can always rely on experts like partnering with a reputable cybersecurity company.
Here at Intelecis, we don’t just make sure that you are protected from any cyberattack with our latest technology and 24/7 availability, we will also train your employees about cybersecurity. If you want to discuss more about how we can help your business defend against any form of cyberattacks, feel free to contact us today.
