In the News
A phishing attack strikes again. In Mobile Phishing Campaign Offered Free Flights from Infosecurity Magazine, Kacy Zurkus reports on a recent mobile phishing attempt targeting airline users by offering free flights. Zurkus explains that this phishing attempt required individuals to fill out a simple questionnaire and then share the ‘free’ offer with contacts on the app WhatsApp in order to receive a free flight. This phishing attempt appeared legitimate because the ‘free’ flights were associated with well-known airlines such as Delta and easyJet. However, these urls promising ‘free’ flights were specifically designed to trick mobile users who often do not use the same security precautions as one might on a laptop or desktop computer.
Our Take
More and more, we use mobile phones for everything from basic communication with friends to online research and hours spent on a social media apps. Mobile phones are highly convenient and useful for someone on the go, but this “on the go” mentality can lead to security vulnerabilities. Using a mobile phone seems more casual and this makes us more vulnerable to potential phishing attempts. A phishing attempt promising ‘free’ flights might seem amazing if you see an ad pop up while scrolling through your feed, but it is important to take a moment and think about why a company would offer free flights to a large amount of people and why they require you to share this deal with others. Stepping back to think before clicking on any link or ad can save your privacy.
Recommendations
So how can you protect yourself from phishing attempts?
- Be cautious of anything advertised as free…the word ‘free’ does not exist in the consumer world often
- Understand the risks of putting your personal information into the world, and only share what you have to
- Avoid clicking directly on links–always search through your search engine to verify legitimacy and find the appropriate site
- Stay up to date on news regarding recent fraud and phishing attacks to see if you may have been affected