The Ten Most Common Types of Phishing | Free Antivirus

Cybercriminals often create different ways to access personal information and sensitive company data

Phishing is one of the most trivial attacks on the Internet lately because it is a relatively easy blow to be applied and reaches several users at once. It is enough for a person to click on a malicious link to have stolen personal data, such as bank passwords, and, depending on the type, even spread viruses and Trojans to the contact list of the cell phone or social networks.

Antivirus programs can help against attacks, especially companies. However, knowing how phishing scams are applied is also an efficient way to prevent possible attacks and not become a victim anymore. The following is a list of the ten most commonly applied phishing types at the moment.

1. Fake Emails or Messages

This is the most common type of phishing and the other cases of the scam end up being a variant of it. Hackers send emails that appear to be from real companies, such as banks. A classic example: the user receives a message saying that their data needs to be updated, as the bank account can be disabled.

If the recipient does not realize that this is a scam, he may end up clicking on a link that leads to a fraudulent address. From that moment on, everything that is typed is collected by cybercriminals. Messages can also arrive on the cell phone, via WhatsApp.

2. Dropbox Phishing

If you have a Dropbox account and store important and private files there, pay attention to the emails you receive. Criminals use fake addresses that appear to come from the platform to trick the user into logging into a fraudulent website. If you receive a message and are in doubt about the sender's veracity, do not click on anything and try to contact the service directly to verify the message.

3. Attack on Google Docs Files

As more and more users and even companies are storing important documents in the Google Drive cloud, cybercriminals are very interested in accessing the platform to steal different types of files, including personal photos. So, the plan is basically the same as for Dropbox phishing: a fake email that appears to be from the Google team asking the user to click on a fake link.

4. Big Fish

When criminals want to specifically target companies, they seek to phish first-level employees in the company. When they are able to access these emails, several messages are soon spread, requesting important files from employees, who respond promptly to their superiors. Thus, in a matter of minutes, criminals now have access to confidential company information. In addition to data theft, financial losses can occur.

5. Phishing by Ransomware

In this type of phishing attack, the user also receives a fraudulent link, but instead of being redirected to a fake website, he ends up installing malware on the computer, often in the form of ransomware. The intention here is not exactly to steal only the information, but also the machines, which are virtually kidnapped by criminals. To have access to all your files again, you have to pay a ransom to hackers.

6. Pharming

Pharming is a very dangerous type of phishing, as it attacks the DNS server, mainly from companies. The attack can be either by installing a Trojan horse on a host computer or directly on the network. Thereafter, any website address, even if it looks reliable, can lead to fraudulent pages without the user's suspicion. Thus, hackers are able to collect information from several people at the same time. Antivirus programs are very important to prevent this type of contamination.

7. Bitcoins

The cryptomonads are up and cybercriminals quickly realized that would be an interesting way of scamming by phishing. Hackers have been using gimmicks like websites disguised as currency exchange or e-mails with buying opportunities that are tempting but totally fake.

8. Spear Phishing

This type of scam aims to reach a smaller number of people, but the chance of success ends up being greater. Personalized messages are sent to a few people, with very convincing information, such as name, surname, and other data, which lead the user to believe that he is receiving a legitimate email from someone familiar. Scammers may even falsify addresses of known websites, making it difficult to see that they are falling for a scam.

9. Smishing SMS

The target here is exclusively cell phones. Smishing is a type of phishing that arrives for text messages supposedly sent by well-known companies that offer prizes that do not exist. As with other forms of scam, a person clicks on a malicious link and is prompted to enter personal data, including a credit card number.

10. Vishing

Here again, the telephone, mobile or landline, is the form used to attack victims. Criminals create an automatic message and make repeated calls to several different numbers. Once again, under the guise of being companies (and mainly banks), they persuade people to type or enter personal data.

These are just a few examples of how criminals can use phishing to make victims. As antivirus programs are always up to date, hackers create new forms of attack to circumvent security systems. Recently, even Facebook was attacked. Therefore, one should pay close attention to everything that is clicked and never provides passwords or personal information.

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