Phishing is a threat capable of appearing on desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Most Internet browsers have ways to check if a link is secure, but the first thing you should know against phishing is to have good judgment or to inform yourself. Learn to recognize the signs and identify the phishing and try to practice safe computing whenever you check your email, search Facebook, etc.
First things first, you should keep in mind:
▸If you suspect that an email is not legitimate, select a name or part of the text and take it to a search engine to see if there are any known phishing attacks using the same methods.
▸If you are asked to provide confidential information, check that the page URL begins with HTTPS instead of just HTTP. The “S” stands for safe. It is not a guarantee that a site is legitimate, but most legitimate sites use HTTPS because it is more secure. HTTP sites, even legitimate ones, are vulnerable to hackers.
▸Playing it safe would mean not opening emails from unfamiliar senders.
▸Absolutely not! click on a link within an email unless you know exactly where it takes you.
▸One layer of protection would be that if you receive an email from a source that you are unsure of, manually navigate to the link provided by typing the legitimate website address into your browser.
How to identify a Phishing
On the other hand, phishing is mainly based on:
▸The messages are often terrifying. Be careful if the email uses alarmist language to create a sense of urgency, forcing you to click and “act now” before your account is deleted. Remember, responsible organizations do not request personal details over the Internet.
▸Be especially on the lookout for subtle misspellings on a familiar website, because it indicates a fake. It is always better to directly type the url instead of clicking the embedded link.
▸The message contains unexpected or strange attachments. These attachments may contain malware, ransomware, or some other online threats.
