Phishing

Phishing is a form of cyber-attack in which fake websites, emails, and text messages are used to elicit personal data.

The most common targets in this assault are passwords, private cryptocurrency keys, and credit card details.

Phishers disguise themselves as reputable businesses and other types of entities. In certain instances, reputable government organizations or authorities are impersonated in order to collect this data.

Because phishing relies on psychological manipulation rather than technological skill, it is considered to be a social engineering attack.

The most common methods for phishing are email, telephone, or text message.

How to Defend Against Phishing Attacks?

Every phishing attempt has a few basic things in common, which individuals need to be aware of.

You should always be on the lookout for offers that are overly lucrative or too good to be true. Click-bait titles or rewards and prizes without any context are red flags.

Additionally, a sense of urgency should always be approached with caution.

A favorite tactic amongst cybercriminals is to ask you to act fast because the super deals are only for a limited time.

Finally, individuals should always be mindful of unusual senders and questionable attachments or hyperlinks.

Simply hovering over a link shows you the actual URL where you will be directed upon clicking on it.

If anything seems out of the ordinary, unexpected, or simply suspicious it is best to avoid clicking on any links.

In the cryptocurrency world, phishing attacks come in forms such as fake wallets that unsuspectingly collect users’ private keys.

Fake exchange login pages that collect users’ login data, and fake wallet seed generators that create and then collect the regenerative phrases used to make cryptocurrency wallets.