Over the years, cybercriminals have developed the fondness of using phishing techniques for cyberattacks.
It works when a hacker attempts unauthorized access to your account details, bank, or other financial information by emulating as one of a trustworthy individual.
In recent times, phishing has evolved and created several types of attacks. One of its most successful methods of attack is known as Spear Phishing.
Spear phishing has been considered to have caused 90 percent of recorded cyberattacks. They target unaware and ignorant users and steal their vital information.
There was an incident in 2018 where hackers used spear phishing and social engineering methods to lure Airbnb customers.
The attackers sent several fake emails with contents about the significance of the General Data Protection Regulation program.
This has lured users to accept the booking in compliance with the GDPR. when users access the attached link, they were rerouted to a website that collected their personal information.
In this article, we will be looking at the difference between phishing and spear phishing, as part of our cybersecurity awareness.
Phishing and Spear Phishing
Phishing is an industry term that is used in a broader or general form. It refers to a cyberattack where a hacker disguises himself as an agent from a legitimate firm and tricks victims into operating specific tasks which the hacker instructed.
The similarity between Phishing and Spear Phishing is that they both focus their attacks on gaining private information and confidential data. The difference between the two is mainly on their target pattern.
Phishing emails focus their target on a large group. It’s a random type of attack that is based on a small chance that users will fall victim to it. Spear phishing on the other hand is an email-targeted approach. It sends bulk emails to a single target or recipient.
How Spear Phishing works
In a spear phishing attack, hackers initially plan out and identify their targets.
Here are some of the elements that you should be aware of for you to identify spear-phishing attacks.
Legit Source or Website – always check on the website, hackers will use legit references so that in a way it will be like from a legitimate source.
Personalized Emails – hackers study their target, and most likely will send emails with personalized messages.
The urgency to call for action – they will be sending ad offers that are sure to click. An example of this is winning a lottery that you did not join.
Redirection – check on the website’s URL, you might be transferred to a malicious website. This also applies to applications that you will download.
How to prevent Spear Phishing
Here are some security practices that you can do to lessen the risk or prevent spear phishing attacks.
It would be to your advantage to always filter your inbox, use encryption, anti-spam applications, keep your software updated, watch out for online activities, use a smart password, use data protection software, and user awareness.
Career Opportunity
Every corporate business today is maximizing the use of emails. This poses a great risk as it is a common entry point of attacks, and we need to give priority to securing, preventing, and finding solutions to this problem.
If you are interested to have a professional career in cybersecurity as a Certified Ethical Hacker or Certified Network Defender, you can enroll in our online learning programs at Reliable Cyber Solutions, LLC. Check our website for more details at RCyberSolutions.
