Concept in Definition ABC

When we believe we receive a message from our usual banking entity, this does not necessarily have to be true, and what we may be witnessing is an attack of the type called phishing, so in the case of receiving a communication electronics of our Bank, it is worth questioning it by system and checking that it is true.

Phishing consists of the imitation of an email message from our bank (above all, but not only) that leads us to perform an operation believing we (the victim) are doing it right, when in reality it is a trap set by a cybercriminal

The purposes of this attack can be diverse, and range from simple money theft, to the installation from malware on the computer or the smartphone of the victim to later use them as a platform to carry out more attacks.

To understand the mechanics of how the Phishing Let's take an example of this: let's imagine that one day we receive an e-mail from our bank explaining that someone has tried to enter our profile

user of the website of said bank, and that we must change our password, for which we provides a link and encourages us to do so quickly, otherwise it will block our operational.

A bank (or any other entity) will rarely include a link to its website in a warning email.

And this should be the first sign that made us doubt. We also have to review the address of email where it comes from, since the vast majority of the time it looks like the address of our website, but it doesn't match, another sign that should trigger our sense of alertness.

If, without clicking on the link proposed in the mail, we place the mouse cursor over it, we will see how the address to which it wants to take us, it has nothing to do with the website of our bank either. More clues, impossible.

To counter the phishing We have security programs, such as modern antivirus, that include protection against threats of various types, but, above all, our common sense

First of all, receive an e-mail from a bank or from any online service (storage of files in the cloud, social network, email, ...) that you ask us to do something and that you also provide us with a link and urge us to click on it, should already make us suspicious.

If this is the case and we doubt, we have at our disposal two solutions: the first is to make a call telephone to, for example, our usual bank office, in which without a doubt, they will have information at respect.

And, secondly, and without clicking on the link or links included in the mail, open another tab of our browser web and, in it, access the service by manually typing its URL and validating us with our credentials.

If there is something that deserves our attention, we will surely see it announced immediately and we can act accordingly.

As a curiosity, explain that the denomination phishing comes from the english verb to fish

Since what cybercriminals do is throw a hook to "catch" the unsuspecting Internet users who bite into it.

Photos: Fotolia - Ponomarenko13 / Rzt Moster

Phishing topics