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 1. National Cyber Awareness System    >
 2. Tips    >
 3. Avoiding Social Engineering and Phishing Attacks

View Previous Tips


SECURITY TIP (ST04-014)


AVOIDING SOCIAL ENGINEERING AND PHISHING ATTACKS

Original release date: October 22, 2009 | Last revised: August 25, 2020


Do not give sensitive information to others unless you are sure that they are
indeed who they claim to be and that they should have access to the information.


WHAT IS A SOCIAL ENGINEERING ATTACK?

In a social engineering attack, an attacker uses human interaction (social
skills) to obtain or compromise information about an organization or its
computer systems. An attacker may seem unassuming and respectable, possibly
claiming to be a new employee, repair person, or researcher and even offering
credentials to support that identity. However, by asking questions, he or she
may be able to piece together enough information to infiltrate an organization's
network. If an attacker is not able to gather enough information from one
source, he or she may contact another source within the same organization and
rely on the information from the first source to add to his or her credibility.


WHAT IS A PHISHING ATTACK?

Phishing is a form of social engineering. Phishing attacks use email or
malicious websites to solicit personal information by posing as a trustworthy
organization. For example, an attacker may send email seemingly from a reputable
credit card company or financial institution that requests account information,
often suggesting that there is a problem. When users respond with the requested
information, attackers can use it to gain access to the accounts.

Phishing attacks may also appear to come from other types of organizations, such
as charities. Attackers often take advantage of current events and certain times
of the year, such as

 * Natural disasters (e.g., Hurricane Katrina, Indonesian tsunami)
 * Epidemics and health scares (e.g., H1N1, COVID-19)
 * Economic concerns (e.g., IRS scams)
 * Major political elections
 * Holidays


WHAT IS A VISHING ATTACK?

Vishing is the social engineering approach that leverages voice communication.
This technique can be combined with other forms of social engineering that
entice a victim to call a certain number and divulge sensitive information.
Advanced vishing attacks can take place completely over voice communications by
exploiting Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) solutions and broadcasting
services. VoIP easily allows caller identity (ID) to be spoofed, which can take
advantage of the public’s misplaced trust in the security of phone services,
especially landline services. Landline communication cannot be intercepted
without physical access to the line; however, this trait is not beneficial when
communicating directly with a malicious actor.


WHAT IS A SMISHING ATTACK?

Smishing is a form of social engineering that exploits SMS, or text, messages.
Text messages can contain links to such things as webpages, email addresses or
phone numbers that when clicked may automatically open a browser window or email
message or dial a number. This integration of email, voice, text message, and
web browser functionality increases the likelihood that users will fall victim
to engineered malicious activity. 


WHAT ARE COMMON INDICATORS OF PHISHING ATTEMPTS?

 * Suspicious sender’s address. The sender's address may imitate a legitimate
   business. Cybercriminals often use an email address that closely resembles
   one from a reputable company by altering or omitting a few characters. 
 * Generic greetings and signature. Both a generic greeting—such as “Dear Valued
   Customer” or “Sir/Ma’am”—and a lack of contact information in the signature
   block are strong indicators of a phishing email. A trusted organization will
   normally address you by name and provide their contact information.
 * Spoofed hyperlinks and websites. If you hover your cursor over any links in
   the body of the email, and the links do not match the text that appears when
   hovering over them, the link may be spoofed. Malicious websites may look
   identical to a legitimate site, but the URL may use a variation in spelling
   or a different domain (e.g., .com vs. .net). Additionally, cybercriminals may
   use a URL shortening service to hide the true destination of the link.
 * Spelling and layout. Poor grammar and sentence structure, misspellings, and
   inconsistent formatting are other indicators of a possible phishing attempt.
   Reputable institutions have dedicated personnel that produce, verify, and
   proofread customer correspondence.
 * Suspicious attachments. An unsolicited email requesting a user download and
   open an attachment is a common delivery mechanism for malware. A
   cybercriminal may use a false sense of urgency or importance to help persuade
   a user to download or open an attachment without examining it first.


HOW DO YOU AVOID BEING A VICTIM?

 * Be suspicious of unsolicited phone calls, visits, or email messages from
   individuals asking about employees or other internal information. If an
   unknown individual claims to be from a legitimate organization, try to verify
   his or her identity directly with the company.
 * Do not provide personal information or information about your organization,
   including its structure or networks, unless you are certain of a person's
   authority to have the information.
 * Do not reveal personal or financial information in email, and do not respond
   to email solicitations for this information. This includes following links
   sent in email.
 * Don't send sensitive information over the internet before checking a
   website's security. (See Protecting Your Privacy for more information.)
   * Pay attention to the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) of a website. Look for
     URLs that begin with "https"—an indication that sites are secure—rather
     than "http.”
   * Look for a closed padlock icon—a sign your information will be encrypted.
 * If you are unsure whether an email request is legitimate, try to verify it by
   contacting the company directly. Do not use contact information provided on a
   website connected to the request; instead, check previous statements for
   contact information. Information about known phishing attacks is also
   available online from groups such as the Anti-Phishing Working Group. (See
   the APWG eCrime Research Papers).
 * Install and maintain anti-virus software, firewalls, and email filters to
   reduce some of this traffic. (See Understanding Firewalls for Home and Small
   Office Use, Protecting Against Malicious Code, and Reducing Spam for more
   information.)
 * Take advantage of any anti-phishing features offered by your email client and
   web browser.
 * Enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA). (See Supplementing Passwords for
   more information.)


WHAT DO YOU DO IF YOU THINK YOU ARE A VICTIM?

 * If you believe you might have revealed sensitive information about your
   organization, report it to the appropriate people within the organization,
   including network administrators. They can be alert for any suspicious or
   unusual activity.
 * If you believe your financial accounts may be compromised, contact your
   financial institution immediately and close any accounts that may have been
   compromised. Watch for any unexplainable charges to your account.
 * Immediately change any passwords you might have revealed. If you used the
   same password for multiple resources, make sure to change it for each
   account, and do not use that password in the future.
 * Watch for other signs of identity theft. (See Preventing and Responding to
   Identity Theft for more information.)
 * Consider reporting the attack to the police, and file a report with the
   Federal Trade Commission.


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