Phishing Attacks, Techniques, Types, Examples, and

Mitigation
Phishing is a form of social engineering in which an attacker sends a fake message to a person,
they are trying to get private information or install malware on their computer. Victims are fooled
into opening emails, instant messages, or text messages that contain harmful malware by
attackers who pose as trusted sources. Malware can be installed, the computer can be locked
down as part of an attack by ransomware, or private information might be revealed after clicking
on a dangerous link included in the email.

The repercussions of an attack can be devastating. Illegal purchases, theft of cash, and identity
theft are just a few of the dangers of individuals.

Another common use of phishing is to create a foothold in commercial or government networks

in combination with an advanced persistent threat (APT) incident. Security perimeters can be
circumvented, the virus can be propagated within a closed environment, or protected data can
be obtained by infiltrating individuals.

Following such an attack, a corporation is likely to incur considerable financial losses, along with
a drop in market share as well as a decrease in the reputation and consumer trust of the brand.
This type of attack can quickly spiral out of control into a full-fledged security disaster for an
organization, depending on the severity of the breach.

Phishing Protection With Blazing SEO Residential Proxy

With Blazing SEO Residential Proxy (source:https://blazingseollc.com/products/residential-
proxies/), phishing attacks can be prevented using a mix of access management and web
application security solutions:

This feature is included in the Blazing SEO Residential Proxy. With this functionality, you may
use 2FA to protect your website or online application URLs. This also covers URL parameters
and AJAX pages, which are more difficult to integrate using 2FA. With a few mouse clicks, the
solution is ready to use in a matter of minutes. Using proxy, you can manage user roles and
privileges without needing any additional hardware or software.

Proxy services are a cloud-based service that prohibits harmful queries from reaching your
network. Malware injection efforts by compromised insiders and XSS attacks resulting from
phishing are among the threats to be prevented.
Phishing Attack Examples
An example of a typical phishing scam is as follows:

To reach as many professors as possible, a counterfeit email from myuniversity.edu was

delivered to many people.

A password expiration warning has been sent to the user through email. Renewing a password
can be done by visiting myuniversity.edu/renewal.

Clicking the link can lead to a variety of outcomes, for example:

The “MyUniversity” mail redirects the user to a fake renewal page that asks for both a new
password and an existing one. To access restricted parts of the university network, an attacker
monitors the page and steals the original password.

The user is redirected to the website to reset their password. The user’s session cookie is stolen
by a malicious script that runs in the background when turned. Many privileges were granted to
the perpetrator as a result of their successful mirrored XSS assault on the university network.

Phishing Techniques
Email Phishing Scams
Phishing via email is a tally game. An attacker can obtain a considerable amount of data and
money by sending many fake messages to many people. There are several strategies that
attackers employ to improve their chances of success.
When it comes to the design of phishing communications, they’ll go all out to make sure that
they look like emails from legitimate organizations. A message’s legitimacy is bolstered by using
the same credentials across all communications.

In addition, by creating a false feeling of urgency, cybercriminals often entice their victims to
take action. Emails threatening account closure and putting the recipient on a timer might be an
example. Applying such a high-pressure level makes the user more prone to making mistakes.

As the most prevalent spam, links in communications with misspelled domain names or
additional subdomains constitute spam. This appears to be a secure connection based on the
similarity of the IP addresses. As a result, the target is completely ignorant that they are being
attacked.

Spear Phishing
On the other hand, Spear Phishing targets a specific individual or organization rather than a
swath of app users at random. In this more advanced form of phishing, the scammer must have
intimate knowledge of the organization’s hierarchy to be successful.

As an example of how an attack may go:

To commit this crime, an assailant looks for the identities of marketing department personnel
and uses that information to acquire access to recent project bills.

The project manager (PM) is asked to log in to access the document. The attacker takes the
user’s credentials, obtaining complete access to the organization’s network’s sensitive sections.

Spear phishing is an efficient way to launch an APT assault because it provides the attacker
with authentic login credentials.

How To Prevent Phishing

To avoid being the victim of a phishing scam, both individuals and businesses must take
precautions.

Users need to be on their guard at all times. Inconsistencies in a forged message can betray its
true origins. As shown in the above URL, spelling errors and domain name modifications are
examples. Stop and think about why you’re getting this email in the first place.

Businesses can adopt Anti-phishing and anti-spearphishing measures to protect themselves

against both types of assaults.
To prevent phishing attempts, two-factor authentication (2FA) is the best technique to ensure
that only authorized users may access important systems. Passwords and usernames are
required, as well as mobile devices, for 2FA to work. Two-factor authentication prevents
unauthorized access even if a user’s credentials have been hacked.

In addition to 2FA, strong password standards should be enforced by enterprises. Employees,

If, for example, users are required to update their passwords regularly, they should not have
access and use the same credentials for several applications.

Educating the public on safe practices such as not clicking on links in emails from unknown
senders can also help reduce the risk of phishing attempts.

Conclusion
With the right combination of solid organisation and practise, correct application of existing
technologies, and developments in security technology, it is possible to significantly minimise
the prevalence of phishing and the losses caused by it.