Get Tech Support Now - (818) 584-6021 - C2 Technology Partners, Inc.

Get Tech Support Now - (818) 584-6021 - C2 Technology Partners, Inc.

C2 provides technology services and consultation to businesses and individuals.

T (818) 584 6021
Email: [email protected]

C2 Technology Partners, Inc.
26500 Agoura Rd, Ste 102-576, Calabasas, CA 91302

Open in Google Maps
QUESTIONS? CALL: 818-584-6021
  • HOME
  • BLOG
  • SERVICES
    • Encryption
    • Backups
  • ABOUT
    • SMS Opt-In Form
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
FREECONSULT
Thursday, 11 October 2012 / Published in Woo on Tech

Spear-Phishing Effectiveness on the Rise

Spear-phishing

Security analysts are uncovering a troubling rise in sophistication and cunning in targeted phishing attempts – also known as “spear phishing” – where attackers are actually adapting their tactics to exploit weaknesses revealed in common business worker behavior. Most obvious and easy to exploit is the fact that many businesses “shut down” on Fridays, and most workers, including corporate IT, disengage from the job and stop reading emails. Attackers savvy to this behavior trend send out the usual phishing emails with URL’s that are actually clean at the time of delivery, allowing them to arrive in user inboxes unmolested by corporate malware detection platforms. The attacker bides his time and waits to compromise the websites that were linked in the phishing emails until the last moment, say early Monday morning, hopefully just before users start to read the email that arrived over the weekend. Because the email managed to make it past corporate filters, the user wrongly assumes it’s safe, clicks the URL and his or her computer is then compromised through the usual malware attacks.

What this means for you:

Phishing emails are becoming increasingly harder to distinguish from the real thing, and it takes a trained eye to spot the best fakes. The most common phishing tactics are to email you about the following:

  1. Your account has been accessed by a third party
  2. (Bank Name) Internet Banking Customer Service Message
  3. Security Measures
  4. Verify your activity
  5. Account security Notification

When you receive an email like the above, and it appears to have come from a company or institution with which you work, examine the source of the email carefully to make sure the links actually go where they say they go. (See our previous news item Ransomware Targets Skype Users for more tips on how to tell if an email is legitimate or not.) If there’s any doubt at all, don’t use the links provided, but type them in or use a bookmark you created to ensure you are going to the proper website, or call a known, publicly-available phone number for the company to verify the request with a real human.

Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

  • Tweet
Tagged under: email, hackers, scam, security, spear phishing, virus

What you can read next

ID-10079656.jpg
Fake Browser Updates Trick Users
Can Facebook Close Pandora’s Box?
Google Glass Logo
Google Glass coming whether you like it or not

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts

  • Security is about to get even more complicated

    We’ve discussed in previous blogs how tec...
  • RIP Skype

    Two years ago, in 2023, Microsoft announced tha...
  • Make a list, check it twice!

    Get ready to show your work

    I’m sure it’s still a thing for stu...
  • Windows 10 Countdown

    As of now, Microsoft seems to be holding fast t...
  • two ceramic smiling poop emojis on a white background

    It’s not just you

    I first encountered Cory Doctorow through his n...

Archives

  • GET SOCIAL
Get Tech Support Now - (818) 584-6021 - C2 Technology Partners, Inc.

© 2016 All rights reserved.

TOP