Phishing Is The Hackers' Favourite Tool

Uploaded on 2023-11-06 in TECHNOLOGY--Hackers, FREE TO VIEW

Phishing is often the first stage of a larger attack that can lead to data breaches, ransomware infections, identity theft, and other serious consequences. Phishing attacks use deception to trick people into giving away sensitive information or taking actions that compromise business security.

Email phishing is the most common type of phishing technique and is ubiquitous for many users, who may receive numerous different ones every day. Typically, these emails inform the recipient that their account been a compromised in some way and requests an immediate by clicking on a provided link.

Now, the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), National Security Agency (NSA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) have jointly produced a Guide to help users protect themselves against phishing threats.

They explain that social engineering is the attempt to trick someone into revealing information (e.g., a password) or taking an action that can be used to compromise systems or networks. Phishing is a form of social engineering where malicious actors lure victims (typically via email) to visit a malicious site or deceive them into providing login credentials.

Hackers use phishing for different malicious purposes:-

Obtaining login credentials: Malicious actors conduct phishing campaigns to steal login credentials for initial network access.

Malware deployment: Malicious actors commonly conduct phishing campaigns to deploy malware for follow-on activity, such as interrupting or damaging systems, escalating user privileges, and maintaining persistence on compromised systems.

This is achieved using a range of different techniques:

Sending emails that look like they come from your boss, co-worker, or IT staff.

Using text messages or chat platforms to trick you into giving your login credentials.

Using Internet phone services to fake caller IDs makes you think they are calling from a legitimate number.

How your organisation can defend itself:-

Train yourself and others on how to spot and report suspicious emails.

Use Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC) for emails.

Set DMARC to “reject” for outgoing emails.

Monitor internal email and messaging traffic.

Use strong Multi-factor Authentication (MFA) for your credentials.

Check MFA lockout and alert settings.

Use Single Sign On (SSO) for centralised logins.

Phishing With Malware

This is a phishing attack where hackers pose as a reliable source and make you interact with malicious links or email attachments, which can run malware on your devices. The two most common techniques are:-

Sending links or attachments that make you download malware.

Using smartphone apps and text messages to deliver malicious content.

There are several different methods of defending against these attacks including:-

Use Deny lists at the email gateway and firewall rules to block malware delivery.

Do not give users administrative rights.

Apply the principle of least privilege (PoLP).

Use application Allow lists.

Disable macros by default.

Use remote browser isolation solutions.

Use protective DNS resolvers.

Reporting Phishing Incidents

If you experience a phishing incident, you should take steps to reset compromised accounts, isolate affected devices, analyse and remove malware, and restore normal operations. Indeed, Reporting any phishing activity to relevant authorities is important in identifying and mitigating new threats.

Phishing attacks are a major threat, but with effective training, security measures, and incident response procedures in place, you can significantly reduce your risk of falling victim to these attacks.

CISA: Imperva: Trend Micro: Fortinet: IT Governance: Cybersecurity News:

Image: Brian J Tromp

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