Angler phishing
he is the youngest member compared to his colleagues. This is the type of cyber attack that targets social media users. It takes place almost exclusively on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram platforms. It is designed to reach out to a disgruntled client as part of a customer care campaign and obtain their personal information for further abuse.
The scenario is again very similar, with the fake profile offering a seemingly innocuous link to the customer to repair their reputation. However, when you click it, you are not connected to an operator in a video call to resolve your problems, but rather an automatic installation of malware directly on your PC. The hacker then takes control of your account, launches identity theft or abuses your profile to launch phishing attacks against your social network contacts.
Statistics state that more than 50% of these criminals prey on the banking sector. Thus, they take advantage of the victim’s anger, frustration and lack of attention in the actual problem solving. For the most part, the attacks are aimed at customers who complain online. When approached, the attackers then refer to the posted social media complaint, explaining that they are trying to negotiate a remedy.
Specific recommendations:
- check the link you sent (the shortened ones are already outdated and do not look credible)
- be interested in the profile that communicates with you and check its relevance, reputation and identity history
- direct your communication to a verified email contact listed on the company’s website
- avoid clicking on links and reporting fake accounts to the authorities
- if you have disclosed, for example, your social media account login details to hackers, immediately reset all passwords: not only for social media, but also for private and work email, bank accounts, mobile devices and smart technology
- contact malware identification specialists and don’t just rely on anti-malware software
The Faster CZ team is here for you.
