If you've already read any of our articles related to social engineering scams ( phishing , smishing , whaling and vishing) , then you already know that many types of scams are based on the fundamentals of phishing. But it's important to know more about the most common scam of all: spear phishing. Unfortunately, this type of fraud is the most dangerous list of bosnia and herzegovina whatsapp phone numbers for businesses.
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Spear phishing is the gateway for 91% of cyberattacks
What is spear phishing?
Spear phishing is a highly targeted type of phishing in which the victim is identified and tricked using very precise personal information that is collected in advance. For example, the hacker may use public data obtained from their social media accounts to convince them that their message is authentic.
Let's say you've bought a new house and posted this good news on Facebook. Thanks to one of your LinkedIn comments, the hacker discovers the name and agency of your banker. From there on, they'll just need to create a seemingly trustworthy email address and use that information, and voila! They can then ask you to transfer money to a specific account, making you believe it's needed for your mortgage. If you're not careful, this is how you could be scammed.
Sometimes, the perpetrators of these types of scams may be sponsored by a government. They may also be "hacktivists" or cybercriminals looking for sensitive information to sell to governments or competitors.