These days, digitization is very useful, but it can also bring in a variety of inherent risks. And that’s especially true when it comes to identity theft, data theft and so on. You always want to keep your information and data safe, as otherwise thieves might end up accessing it and that’s what you always want to avoid. It’s crucial especially in the context of clone phishing.
What is clone phishing?
It’s a phishing attack type where the criminals are cloning a legitimate email that the victim received previously from a reputable source. They are copying the logo, tone, format and design of that email and create a fake one whose focus is to steal your data. Most of the time, these emails will either have maleficent links, or attachments with malware. As mentioned, the primary focus is on getting all your data as quickly as possible, and that’s extremely dangerous for everyone.
How does clone phishing work?
- At first, the attacker will gain access to your emails or to legitimate emails that you would normally receive.
- After they have access to the email, they will focus on emulating the emails to ensure that you wouldn’t think twice and you would click on the info.
- Once the attacker is altering the email, they are sending the cloned email to the original recipient. They bet on the idea that the message seems very familiar, and because of that, you won’t think twice and click on it.
- If you click on the malicious link, then you are most likely redirected to a counterfeit website designed to access your credit card info, sensitive data and acquire login credentials most of the time. Or as we said, the message might have malware whose focus is to acquire the same data in a different manner.
Is clone phishing dangerous?
The short answer is yes, because it’s cloning real emails from reputable companies. And that’s the thing, having those emails cloned is problematic, because people trust that format and the company. And because of it, they are clicking automatically. The clone phishing approach is taking advantage of the trust that brands built over the years, in order to acquire important data and take advantage of it.
Plus, the problem is that it can be hard to detect. Granted, if you are accustomed with scams and online attacks, you might be checking the sender and so on. Yet most people won’t, and if they see familiar logos and formats, they usually don’t think twice. They will just click, and then their data is stolen or the computer is infected.
Awareness is crucial
As we said, clone phishing is very dangerous and it relies on the vulnerabilities of human behavior. You do need to focus on protecting yourself as much as possible. And even so, there is a possibility that they will get to the personal info using emotion-focused approaches. That’s the reason why you need to avoid any messages or emails from sources you don’t trust.
Tips to help you avoid clone phishing
- A good rule of thumb is to never trust anyone you don’t know. Check where the email is coming from and if it’s not from the brand that you think it is, then mark it as spam and report it.
- Avoid downloading any attachments from senders that you don’t know. If an email seems corrected or updated, that’s suspicious and it should raise a red flag.
- Don’t open links from emails where you are pressured to press the button. Any sense of urgency and pressure is usually related to scams, so that’s an important thing to keep in mind.
- You also want to avoid sharing any sensitive info via email. It makes a lot of sense to never share personal or sensitive info in an email. That way, if anyone asks for personal info this way, you know it’s a scam.
- Try to update your devices and software as often as possible. That could help you detect attacks, and it will prevent many problems that could arise.
- It’s just as important to try and use multi-factor authentication. It will add an extra layer of protection, especially for these clone phishing attacks that would usually try to access your passwords, login data and so on.
Conclusion
It always helps to be very careful when it comes to the information you share online. And of course, it’s crucial to check emails and where they are coming from. Never click random attachments from emails either, as those might have malware. It’s imperative to have as much due diligence as possible and once you do that, it will be easier to prevent any problems. In the end, it will provide a much better result than expected if you educate yourself about online dangers such as clone phishing, as it becomes easier to know how to stay safe and avoid any data theft!
Recent Comments