How to Recognize Phishing

 What is Phishing

One of the oldest hacking techniques. It is also one of the simplest, and, surprisingly, one of the most effective. Most people do not even suspect that anything is amiss when under phishing attacks because they do not realize what it is or how it works

Phishing is all about deception. Hackers impersonate other people or entities in a attempt to gain your trust and get you to reveal sensitive information such as credit card numbers and passwords. Alternatively, the hackers will try to get you to download damaging malware and spyware that then collects sensitive data and sends it back to them

Most phishing attacks are random and wide spread, designed to target a large group of people with the hope that some victims fall for the trap. However, there are two more distinct forms of phishing:

Spear Phishing

In this case hackers target a specific individual for a variety of reasons. These may be partners, work colleagues, friends, and relatives, or prominent people. 91% of Cyber Attacks and the resulting data breach begin with a spear phishing email, according to research from security software firm Trend Micro

Whale Phishing

In this case hackers target specific individuals that are prominent and stand out in society. These may be CEOs of major companies, celebrities, or politicians, among others. Because of the people who would have access to large and sensitive data bases “Whales” are carefully chosen for their access within the company. The goal of a whaling attack is to trick a CEO or Executive into revealing personal or corporate data, often through email and website spoofing

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