10 Most Common Phishing Attacks

Phishing is one of the most common ways for scammers to steal information. Through social engineering or deception, fraudsters attempt to trick people into handing over personal or confidential information to then use it for malicious purposes. With some basic information like your full name and address, a scammer could make you vulnerable to identity theft and with a username and answers to privacy questions, they might even be able to get into your online banking accounts.

Corporations are especially at risk, and despite the commonality of phishing attacks, many people remain unaware of how to spot him. According to a Verizon cybersecurity report, there was 9,576 email phishing incidents reported in 2015, and 916 resulted in a data breach. This means that almost 1 in 10 phishing attempts are successful. For people in the tech field, this might seem like a crazy number, but the target is usually someone outside of the bubble, unfamiliar with what a phishing attempt looks like.

The fact is that there are many different types of phishing attacks. Some are generic emails that are easy to spot but more others can be especially tailored to the victim and might be difficult to warn users about.

These are the 10 most common types of phishing attacks.

Deceptive phishing is by far the most common type of phishing attack in which scammers attempt to replicate a legitimate company’s email correspondence and prompt victims into handing over information or credentials. Often, they are creating a sense of urgency to make people act quickly and without checking. Two-factor verification can be used to protect yourself. You should also always look for tell-tale signs such as grammar and spelling mistakes throughout the email or broad addressing terms.

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Spear phishing attacks are specifically tailored to one victim. Using knowledge (Read more...)