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How does phishing email work?
Phishing is a type of social engineering attack often used to steal user data, including login credentials and credit card numbers. It occurs when an attacker, masquerading as a trusted entity, dupes a victim into opening an email, instant message, or text message.
How do hackers use phishing to gain personal information?
Generally, a phishing campaign tries to get the victim to do one of two things: Hand over sensitive information. These messages aim to trick the user into revealing important data — often a username and password that the attacker can use to breach a system or account.
What makes an email Phish?
Phishing is a type of online scam where criminals impersonate legitimate organizations via email, text message, advertisement or other means in order to steal sensitive information.
Social media phishing refers to an attack executed through platforms like Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter. The purpose of such an attack is to steal personal data or gain control of your social media account.
Data Mining Every time someone creates a new social media account, they provide personal information that can include their name, birthdate, geographic location, and personal interests. In addition, companies collect data on user behaviors: when, where, and how users interact with their platform.
What should I do if I receive a phishing email?
Go back and review the tips in How to recognize phishing and look for signs of a phishing scam. If you see them, report the message and then delete it. If the answer is “Yes,” contact the company using a phone number or website you know is real. Not the information in the email.
What is a phishing attack and how does it work?
How does a phishing attack work? A basic phishing attack attempts to trick a user into entering personal details or other confidential information, and email is the most common method of performing these attacks. The sheer number of emails sent every single day means that it’s an obvious attack vector for cyber criminals.
What are some examples of security breaches caused by phishing?
On the subject of security breaches and social engineering, some of the most high profile breaches (Target, Sony) were instigated with phishing campaigns. In the case of Target, a 3rd party was compromised via email which allowed the malicious actors to eventually access the Target network.
How to prevent hackers from accessing your email account?
Many spam filters can be enabled to recognize and prevent emails from suspicious sources from ever reaching the inbox of employees. Two factor authentication should be deployed to prevent hackers who have compromised a user’s credentials from ever gaining access.