About
Patrick Cassidy
Oct 30
What is a Smishing Attack?
The average person now spends over 3 hours on their phone every day. Hackers are constantly looking for new opportunities to exploit people, so deploying an attack straight to your phone is a no-brainer.
Smishing attacks are a form of phishing through direct messaging. This includes but is not limited to WhatsApp messages, SMS text messages, iMessage, Slack etc. These messages will contain a malicious link, if you click it you could be giving a hacker access to your phone and all your data.
Types of Attacks
Track My Parcel
Hackers know people are obsessed with tracking their packages so getting a text message from a courier is now a regular occurrence for most of us. When you’re expecting a package, why would you second guess this kind of message?
COVID-related Attacks
Unfortunately, the global pandemic is a massive opportunity for hackers. A common COVID-related smishing attack notifies the user they have been in contact with someone who has tested positive, the message includes a link for the user to find out what the next steps are.
Urgent Bank Message
An urgent message from your bank is a sure-fire way to get attention. The more sophisticated hackers already have your email address and will try a two-pronged attack to seem more legitimate. Messages could contain information about unusual activity, a simple message asking you to confirm personal details or asking you to confirm a new payee.
C3 Can Help
Our advice is…
- Question every message you are not expecting.
- Be especially aware of messages asking you to act urgently.
- If it feels wrong it probably is.
If you’re worried about cybersecurity measures in your business – get in touch below for a free, no obligation assessment.
Book a cybersecurity awareness demo with us → ionic-it.com/contact-us/
Don’t just take our word for it…
