Clone Phishing – An Attack That Can Defraud Even the Most Cautious Users
Cybersecurity experts explain how to identify such attacks more easily.
According to a NordVPN survey, 84% of users have experienced social engineering in the past, with more than one-third falling victim to phishing email scams. Experts say a new type of phishing has recently begun to emerge — clone phishing — that can trick even the most cautious user.
clone phishing is scam Cybercriminals copy legitimate emails or websites to trick victims into providing personal information. Cloned emails look almost identical to the original and contain legitimate details, making clone phishing harder to detect than other phishing attacks.
“While users learn and become more cautious every time they encounter a cybersecurity problem, criminals don’t make it easy by continually developing new techniques to target people. Clone Phishing Attacks Take Phishing to the Next Level new level, as emails are often highly personalized and replicate content that victims have received in the past,” said Adrianus Warmenhoven, cybersecurity expert at NordVPN.
How does clone phishing work?
1. Attacker Intercept messages sent to users From legitimate sources (for example, banks, customer support services, money transfer sites, or employers). Attackers may use a variety of techniques to intercept email, including DNS hijacking. Hackers don’t always need to intercept emails to perform clone phishing attacks. However, if they did, these cloned emails would be much harder to spot because they would look just like the originals.
after that liar Create a copy of the email and send sent to victims, urging them to take action. Scammers want their victims to act quickly, so phishing emails always sound urgent. You may see common social engineering tactics such as asking users to change their passwords or provide other sensitive data because their accounts have been “compromised”. It’s also common for clone phishing scams to include malicious links that users can click on thinking they’re going to a legitimate website.
The victim opens the email, thinking it came from a legitimate source. They may open an attachment such as a PDF document, which instantly installs malware on their machine and gives cybercriminals access to their sensitive information. Or they may click on a link contained in the email and be redirected to a malicious site, allowing attackers to steal their information.
How to Prevent Clone Phishing Attacks
“Spotting a clone phishing attack can be tricky, especially when the scammer has extensive experience creating cloned emails. However, there are a few steps you can take to reduce the likelihood of falling victim to this type of social engineering attack,” Adrianus Warmenhoven said, and provided a series of tips that can help users avoid being affected by clone phishing emails.
- Check the sender’s email address. Before you click on anything or reply to an email, make sure the sender’s email address is legitimate. Clone phishing attempts often come from email addresses that are similar to the original. However, they may have extra periods, dashes, symbols, or other nuances. Double-check the sender’s email address to make sure it’s from a legitimate source.
- Don’t click on the link. Avoid clicking links unless you are absolutely sure the email is not a scam. The email may contain a link that redirects you to a malicious website where the scammer can steal your personal information. Click on links and buttons only after you have confirmed that the email is secure.
- Use a spam filter. A spam filter can be helpful if you receive a lot of email every day. These filters analyze the content of each email and identify unwanted or dangerous messages. While they won’t always spot cloned emails, it’s a good idea to use them in addition to other measures.
“Clone phishing emails are not dangerous until you click on the link or file contained in them. Therefore, it is generally advised not to rush to believe everything you read in your email inbox. Before you provide any personal information or a single Before you click on a link in an email, it is always safer to double check with the company that emailed you and contact them by phone,” says Adrianus Warmenhoven.
