Prevent Phishing Scams and Attacks that are Coronavirus Related

Phishing is the most used vector in the world to trick users into clicking a malicious link or an attachment. The problem is only increasing and is not showing signs of stopping just yet.

Coronavirus has been wreaking havoc all around the world and people are panicking. Hackers know this and target people who are scared. Cybercriminals claiming to be from legitimate organizations are targeting users with coronavirus related emails. In this article, we will give you some phishing prevention tips and use phishing attack prevention tools so you can spot and prevent phishing attacks.

How to Recognize Phishing

Scammers use email or text messages to trick you into giving them your personal information. They may try to steal your passwords, account numbers, or Social Security numbers. If they get that information, they could gain access to your email, bank, or other accounts. Scammers launch thousands of phishing attacks like these every day — and they’re often successful. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center reported that people lost $57 million to phishing schemes in one year. 

Some of these tips will help you recognize phishing scams:

Phishing attempts most often begin with an email attempting to obtain sensitive information through some user interaction, such as clicking on a malicious link or downloading an infected attachment.

• Through link manipulation, an email may present with links that spoof legitimate URLs; manipulated links may feature subtle misspellings or use of a subdomain.
• Using covert redirection, attackers can corrupt legitimate websites with malicious pop-up dialogue boxes that redirect users to a phishing website.
• Infected attachments, such as .exe files, Microsoft Office files, and PDF documents can install ransomware or other malware.

Phishing scams can also employ phone calls, text messages, and social media tools to trick victims into providing sensitive information. If you recognize phishing scams like these then delete them at all costs.

How to Prevent Phishing

Anti-phishing systems scan for discrepancies between the apparent sender and actual sender, links that lead to known malicious sites, and malignant attachments. A good anti-spam system knows how to prevent phishing and will block many phishes without having to scan the message for malicious content, simply because the apparent sender doesn’t match the actual sender, or because the actual sender is sending the same message to many users at the same time.

Protect your Personal Information

• To protect yourself from falling victim to a phishing scam, it’s important to be very cautious with your personal information including your usernames and passwords.
• Some phishing scams divert you to a fraudulent website designed to look like your bank’s website or a similar trusted source.
• When you enter your username/password and other information, that information is transmitted to the con artist, who can abuse it later on.

Beware of Suspicious Emails and Do not Click Suspicious Links

• Be very suspicious of any emails you receive from trusted entities like your bank.
• If the email contains a link, don’t click on it.

Know the Common Phishing Language

• Look out for common phishing language in emails like “Verify your account.”
• Legitimate businesses will not email you to ask for your login information or sensitive personal information.
• Also, look out for emails that try to convey a sense of urgency.

Use Anti-Phishing Software

Many firewalls (which may also be called UTMs or unified threat management systems) scan incoming email and look for security threats. You can use phishing prevention software services such as PhishProtection, RSA, Mimecast and others.

Spam Filter

Your email system, whether it is hosted by a vendor like Google or runs on an internal email server such as Microsoft Exchange or Linux Sendmail, has the capability to use spam filters that detect many types of email that pose a threat. This includes phishes, as well as emails with viruses and unsolicited commercial emails.You can also use third party phishing email prevention services to make sure your inbox is free from spam and phishing emails.

Two-Factor Authentication

 

Two-factor authentication, or 2FA, adds a level of verification to user logins. Rather than simply requiring a username and password, 2FA sends a text message or another second factor to which the user must respond correctly before being able to log in.

To conclude, we hope these tips helped you know how to recognize phishing scams and how to avoid phishing attacks like these. User education is important but an anti phishing tool is necessary in times like these. Be wary against all kinds of emails that land in your inbox and be absolutely sure before you click or download an attachment.

Good anti phishing tools will make sure that they prevent phishing attacks and scams before they even land in your inbox