Email Phishing

January 3, 2023 2023-01-30 10:59

What is Email Phishing?

Email phishing is a type of online fraud that occurs when an attacker tricks a victim into revealing personal information or clicking on a malicious link. The attacker typically accomplishes this by sending an email that appears to be from a legitimate source, such as a financial institution or popular online retailer. The email may contain a link that takes the victim to a fake website that looks identical to the legitimate site. Alternatively, the email may contain an attachment that, when opened, installs malware on the victim’s computer.

Types of Email Phishing in detail

There are many types of email phishing, but some of the most common include:

1. Deceptive Phishing

This is the most common type of email phishing, and it usually involves an email that looks like it’s from a legitimate source, like a company or organization. The email will often try to trick you into clicking on a link or attachment that will install malware on your computer or device.

2. Spear Phishing

Spear phishing is a more targeted type of email phishing. The attacker will usually have some information about their target, like their name or email address, and they’ll use this to make the email look more legitimate. They might even spoof the email address of someone you know to make it look like the email is coming from them.

3. Whaling

Whaling is a type of spear phishing that targets high-profile individuals, like CEOs or other executives. The attacker will usually try to steal sensitive information or money from the target.

4. Clone Phishing

Clone phishing is when the attacker creates an exact copy of a legitimate email that you’ve received before. They will then replace the attachment or link in the email with their own malicious version.

5. Typosquatting

Typosquatting is when the attacker registers a domain name that is similar to a legitimate website. They will then create a fake website that looks like the legitimate one. When you mistype the URL of the legitimate website, you might end up on the fake one instead.

6. Pharming

Pharming is when the attacker redirects you to a fake website, even if you type in the correct URL. They can do this by infecting your computer with malware or by changing the DNS settings on your router.

7. Vishing

Vishing is when the attacker uses social engineering to try and trick you into giving them sensitive information over the phone. They might pretend to be from a legitimate company or organization and try to get you to give them your credit card number or social security number.

8. Smishing

Smishing is when the attacker sends you a text message (SMS) that contains a link to a fake website. They might try to trick you into clicking on the link by pretending to be from a legitimate company or organization. Factors of Email Phishing.

How do you identify a phishing email?

There are various ways one can identify phishing emails when received. Here are some of the most common ways to figure out:
  • A phishing email may contain grammatical errors or poor spelling.
  • The email may come from an unknown sender.
  • The email may contain a sense of urgency or threaten some sort of negative consequences if you do not act.
  • The email may contain a fake logo or other images.
  • The email may contain a link to a fake website.
  • The email may contain an attachment that contains malware.

Pros and cons of Email Phishing in detail.

There are several pros and cons to email phishing.

Pros:

  1. Email phishing can be an effective way for the anti-crime departments to collect personal information from suspects.
  2. Phishing emails are often very well designed and can be difficult to distinguish from legitimate emails.
  3. Email phishing can be used to target a wide range of people, including those who may not be familiar with online scams.

Cons:

  1. Email phishing is a crime and can result in heavy fines and jail time for those convicted. (*SendBuzz does not promote phishing at any capacity)
  2. Phishing emails can be disruptive and cause distress for those who receive them.
  3. Phishing emails can pose a serious security threat to both individuals and businesses if they contain links to malicious websites or attachments.