https://phishing.mrwebmd.com#learn-the-basics
What is phishing?
Phishing is a type ofsocial engineering attackManipulating someone to divulge sensitive or confidential information, usually through digital communication Norton Securitythat aims to get the victim to provide senstive information such as account credentials or personally identifiable information (PII).
These kinds of attacks generally happen through email (phishing), over the phone (vishing), and through text messages (vishing).
A quick look at a phishing email
Click on areas with a pulse to learn more.
Suspicious activity detected
Hello The greeting is very impersonal. If you receive an email from Microsoft it should include some basic account details rather than something generic.Dear,
We've had to temporarily disable your Microsoft due to suspicious activity. If no action is taken, your account may be disable permanently. This section calls for urgency from the user which may make them press the verify button without analyzing the email
To reactive Typos in emails can be an early indicator that the sender is not who they claim to beyour account, we're going to need to very some information.
Please continue to verify your account.
Phishing has resulted in a combined total of $44,213,707 in financial losses in 2021.
Additionally, reports to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) show that phishing claimed 323,972 victims in 2021 alone.
There are 3 simple steps that you can take to protect yourself from phishing emails.
- Avoid clicking links
- Verify the sender
- Be skeptcial of impersonal messages
Whenever possible instead of clicking on a link within an email or text message, manually type the address of the website you know is real. Often times your browser will autofill the correct address for you. This will limit your exposure to potentially spoofed website domains.
An email can be verified by matching the senders email address with what you know is reputable. For example [email protected] would be an email address an attacker would use. [email protected] is an official google email address because it ends with google.com with no revisions.
You can learn more from this google support article.
Phishing emails and text messages are sent on a massive scale, reaching the inboxes of thousands of people. This often leads to phishing attempts being very impersonal. When a message calls for you to provide personally identifiable information or does not at least include some your own basic info, then avoid interacting with it.