By now, most of us are well aware that the Internet has enabled bad actors, including all manner of hackers and scammers. One of the most common types of cyber scam is known as phishing. Needless to say, it’s important for individuals and business organizations alike to steer clear of these scams. In order to do so, it may be helpful to know a bit more about what phishing is, and what scammers hope to accomplish through this particular line of attack.

Understanding the Motives Behind Phishing Emails

Basically, phishing attacks are all attempts to get the victim to behave in a way that ultimately benefits the attacker. In other words, a phishing email is meant to persuade you to send money, to reveal a password, or to hand over some type of sensitive information that the attacker could then use against you.

Most phishing attacks use social engineering techniques, wherein the attacker tries to conceal their true motives and identity by presenting themselves as people you know and trust. Another hallmark of phishing is urgency; attackers try to convey a sense of urgency, appealing to the victim’s innate desire to be helpful in a time of crisis or emergency.

Phishing attacks can be varied, and don’t always follow the same script. With that said, there are a few common themes to watch out for.

  • Financial theft. The most common goal of a phishing attack is direct financial theft, such as by persuading a victim to wire funds to a fraudulent account.
  • Data theft. For business organizations, phishing attacks are often employed to steal sensitive or proprietary data, for which the business might then need to pay a ransom.
  • Identity theft. In some situations, phishing attacks may be used to harvest personally identifiable information, which can then be used for identity theft and for further crimes on the dark web.

What Do Phishing Attacks Try to Convince You to Do?

In pursuit of these goals, phishing attacks may try to persuade you into taking any one of the following actions:

  • Click a link. Criminals may try to get you to click on an unscrupulous link, perhaps one that might trigger a malicious download or allow the criminal to somehow access your confidential data.
  • Visit a website. Along the same lines, criminals may try to persuade you to visit an unverified website, where they can more easily deploy malware or steal your personal information.
  • Open an attachment. One of the surest signs of phishing is when an unconfirmed or unknown sender tried to get you to download an attachment, which may house malware or worse.
  • Enter information. Sometimes, phishing attacks may ask you directly to input information, such as a password of bank account information. Sometimes this is done through a form embedded in the email. It may also be done through an invitation for a direct reply.
  • Take action. In some situations, scammers may pose as government or banking authorities, urging you to grant access to a profile or an internal network. This is often framed under the guise of helpfulness.

What Types of Information Do Phishing Scams Seek?

Be vigilant about unprompted requests for information, especially from senders you don’t know. Some of the common types of information sought in phishing attacks include:

  • Bank account information
  • Social Security Numbers
  • Credit card numbers
  • Tax information
  • Login information
  • Personal photos or documents
  • Business files
  • Internal business communications
  • Customer or employee data
  • Proprietary data

Be Vigilant Against Phishing Scams

It’s crucial to know the different forms that phishing scams can take, and the myriad motives that may drive them. It’s equally important to have the right safeguards in place, particularly in a business context. To learn more about robust cybersecurity plans, reach out to BlueArmor today.