Phishing Attacks

Photo by stephen momot on Unsplash
Photo by stephen momot on Unsplash

What is Phishing?

It is a common cyber-attack of sending fraudulent communications that appear to come from a reputable source.

Purpose of Phishing?

Hackers try to get personal data or sensitive information to fully gain control of your personal accounts or business entities' accounts. The worst hackers can do is steal data for sale or possibly ask for ransom fees.

How Phishing Works?

  1. Hackers identify target audiences or groups

  2. Counterfeit communications appear from a trustworthy source

  3. Frequently use emotions like fear, curiosity, urgency, or greeting to offer helps and ask to share sensitive information or open attachments or click links

Types of Phishing

Spear phishing: target specific individuals to gain account access fully to a wide group of people or entities later

Business Email Compromise (BEC): sent fraudulent emails to ask for click on links or attachments

Whaling: pretending to be CEO or a big fish to ask you a favor to access login access

Social Media Phish: attack social media users with fraudulent helps support offering

Voice Phishing: calling to present support to obtain sensitive information

Common Crypto Phishing (Discord)

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Winning Crypto: you will receive a message of winning a huge lottery and ask to either click a link to claim your winnings or go to the website to submit your account information

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Claim Reward: a legitimate like direct message asking you to claim your reward from nowhere and click a link

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Customer Supports: a legitimate like direct message offers support and ask you to fill out a Google document or go to the website to connect your wallet

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Fake Bots: a common use bot that asks to verify your account and connect with your wallet

What To Do (Discord)

  1. Think twice: do not click anything from a direct message

  2. Check users’ names: check their profile, mutual servers shared, and mutual friends

  3. Ask around before clicking: screenshot the conversation and share in the forum with others to verify 

  4. Search server with user names: research user name with shared server to see such user actually had any conversation in channels

  5. Submit and report: click spam and block users

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Here is a quick tip inforgraphic.

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