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Most famous phishing attack methods of 2024

Most famous phishing attack methods of 2024

The 2021 Cisco report shows that phishing attacks exceed all other forms of cyberattacks reaching more than 90% of the total attacks.

American victims of phishing attacks combined lost around $12.5 billion to scammers during 2023 according to the FBI estimates.

The development of technology has prompted hackers and cybercriminals to develop modern methods for user deception while stealing personal data. The following review examines the major phishing attack methods which spread throughout 2024.

Phishing via Email

Through emails phishing attacks became historically known for stealing valuable information and money since scammers continue using email as their primary deception platform for victims online.

Phishing emails remain the most reported criminal activity of 2024 with an estimated daily total of 3.4 billion times according to the FBI statistics.

Before 2024 phishing emails were easily recognizable by standard users through their poor language quality and unusual verbalization which highlighted their false origin.

The implementation of AI technologies particularly ChatGPT enables scammers to create professional-seeming messages through language tools while keeping their communication difficult to detect by all users.

Contacting the official company directly by other means enables you to check if the email is authentic rather than replying directly to questionable messages. When you cannot identify the origin of a message do not proceed with links or file downloads.

Phishing via Text Messages ("Smishing")

The term "Smishing" describes criminal actions which occur through SMS text messages for conning activities. People generally respond fast when they receive text messages since this communication comes from reputable sources including family members and business companies.

An Amazon package notice that appears when you did not make any orders serves as one instance of text message fraud while a random person claiming the wrong number becomes another.

Smishing occurs frequently through scams that lead targets to click links containing malware or ask for money payments.

Pig butchering has emerged as a widely used term throughout recent times. The technique involves the development of trust with the victim to obtain investment in cryptocurrency which ends in stealing their funds.

Voice Phishing ("Vishing")

Scammers have increased their voice phishing attacks because of artificial intelligence which enables them to modify their voices to trick victims into believing they speak for an authentic source. The scammers use artificial pressure to establish their authority while stopping people from conducting sound decision-making.

A scammer poses as a bank employee while making your phone call by delivering their message with both assurance and friendly demeanor. A deceptive caller claims to be investigating strange activity on your credit card but demands your legal identification number as a proof of identity.

Through this method scammers make their victims fearful about disasters happening unless they agree to their demands.

Most Common Voice Phishing in 2024

The Trump Campaign will use fraudulent techniques by modifying voices into a friend's voice to request money due to an arrest warrant or a small fee to claim a debt or prize scenario. The tool uses both emotional manipulation and a sense of urgency to trick people into believing lies.

QR Code Phishing ("Quishing")

QR code phishing ("quishing") tricks victims into accessing deceptive websites through two dimension barcodes. Cyber scammers use phishing tactics together with QR (Quick Response) codes to display dangerous links or programs under the shape of QR codes which then direct victims to fake websites.

Security risks through malicious QR codes emerge from their distribution through stickers in public areas and by mail and emails and by using them as overlays on restaurant QR codes. As QR codes become more widely used members of society have developed a decreased level of caution. People tend to exercise caution when clicking on doubtful links yet they do not react similarly to QR codes.

Targeted Phishing (Spear Phishing)

Email phishing becomes targeted when scammers specifically focus on individual organizations or particular persons to exploit known information obtained from open-source intelligence (OSINT). Probably addressed to you by name and containing your sensitive information within the email content which creates curiosity so you are likely to open it. Personalized information in the messages makes victims trust they are coming from reputable sources.

The main target of spear phishing attacks are prominent business leaders including CEOs and owners. Creators of fraudulent emails dedicate monetary resources together with hours to acquire detailed client information so they can craft targeted deception messages.

Whaling Attacks function as a parallel attack vector that assaults high-level business officials and affluent persons. Such attacks require advanced organization together with substantial funds because perpetrators need plenty of preparation along with substantial financial investment.

Evil Twin Attack

The Evil Twin Attack utilizes both Wi-Fi network hacking and phishing methods to conduct its operations. An attacker develops an imitated Wi-Fi hotspot which uses the identical network name of the actual wireless network.

By interrupting the wireless process between original networks and users' devices attackers create conditions for users to choose the fraudulent network connection. All information sharing between users goes through attacker-controlled network infrastructure once these users successfully connect to the system.

In 2024, the Evil Twin Attack has gained widespread popularity in public areas and airport networks because of its basic execution method. The attacker needs only a smartphone or any device that connects to the internet together with basic accessible tools for this attack.

A security flaw in public Wi-Fi allows cybercriminals to conduct digital espionage while their victims provide access to login credentials and bank account numbers together with their payment card credentials.

Phishing Through HTTPS Protocol

HTTPS protocol-based phishing occurs when websites display security markers by implementing the SSL certificate-required encryption standard between websites and browsers.

Before the Internet age browsers recognized sites without HTTPS as the initial precaution against phishing attacks. Internet scammers obtain SSL certificates at no cost to implement the HTTPS protocol into their artificial websites making them more difficult to identify.

Clone Phishing

Clone phishing attacks make use of genuine email messages which originate from the source sender through legitimate channels. The attacker creates a message copy which includes almost all original content before adding fraudulent attachments and links to send to the victim. A forwarded tag appears on top of the inbox message so the victim believes it is an authentic follow-up communication.

The hacker usually employs fake email addresses yet sophisticated hackers apply address spoofing techniques to mimic domain authenticity.

Pop-up Phishing

The practice of injecting malware into websites still works for hackers even though many users disable pop-up and ad blockers in their web browsers. The malware will present through alert messages which imitate genuine advertisements or notification windows across web pages. Anytime users click on pop-up advertisements or pop-ups their computer risks exposure to harmful malware.

Social Media Phishing

Social networking platforms have evolved into a widespread method through which phishers launch their attacks during 2024. Social engineering permits hackers to retrieve important personal information because users share detailed data on various social media platforms.

Multiple billion users across the globe utilize Facebook alongside Instagram along with Snapchat and LinkedIn which allows hackers to gather expanded data for targeting people throughout their network.

These assaults deliver threats through links which lead people to dangerous websites. An attacker establishes an imitation profile of your friend that requests funds from you or directs you through deception to click on suspicious links.

Website Spoofing

An improved phishing tactic called website spoofing comprises complete fabrication of an imitated website purposefully designed to obtain personal data from users. The imitation website duplicates every essential aspect of the authentic website including its brand identity and verbal material and color scheme alongside overall design features.

The targeted victim groups for hackers include websites that manage financial, healthcare and social media accounts.

DNS Spoofing

A hacker needs to break into a DNS server during DNS spoofing attacks because this server conducts the essential process of converting domain names into IP addresses.

A hacker who breaches a DNS server can automatically shift URLs to a false website operating with a separate IP address.

A user who falls victim to this attack has two main outcomes on the fake website—the system will download malware to their device or show a fake interface which requests authentication for login credentials and personal information or credit card numbers.

Image-based Phishing

Images form the basis of phishing attacks which reveal themselves in fraudulent email messages.

The email content includes embedded images with links to damaging websites and sometimes the image serves as the sole targeted phishing mechanism to convince users about its safety.

Achaoui Rachid
Achaoui Rachid
Hello, I'm Rachid Achaoui. I am a fan of technology, sports and looking for new things very interested in the field of IPTV. We welcome everyone. If you like what I offer you can support me on PayPal: https://paypal.me/taghdoutelive Communicate with me via WhatsApp : ⁦+212 695-572901
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