PHISHING facts and advice offered
Tue, 11/09/2021 - 11:57am
In light of the recent Robinhood data breach, cybersecurity experts Lookout share the following facts and advice:
PHISHING FACTS
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Phishing has become the most prominent attack method for threat actors.
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According to Lookout data, almost 50% of mobile users encounter at least one phishing attack every quarter in 2021. This is a significant increase from about 30% every quarter in 2020.
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This shows how cyber criminals see mobile phishing as a highly viable attack vector, and it helps their case that they can target individuals through SMS, iMessage, email, social media apps, third party messaging platforms, gaming and even dating apps.
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The mobile apps we use every day provide the perfect environment for malicious actors to build legitimate-looking profiles and socially engineer us into giving up sensitive information.
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HOW PHISHING HAPPENS
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Even though this particular incident targeted an enterprise organization, attackers do not discriminate. They'll use the exact same tactics on targets whether they want to swipe corporate login credentials or personal banking logins.
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This is frequently done by sharing a fake link to a collaboration platform such as Google Workspace or Microsoft Office 365 and asking the user to log in so that their credentials can be validated.
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In reality, these fake pages send your credentials straight to the attacker without you ever knowing.
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If the attacker targets the victim on their smartphone, it becomes even more difficult to spot the malicious intent because of the smaller screen and simplified user interface of mobile devices.
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WHAT ROBINHOOD USERS SHOULD DO
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As a matter of caution, Robinhood users should consider doing the following:
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Changing their password on their Robinhood account. If that password is reused for any other accounts, change those as well.
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Enabling two-factor authentication on their Robinhood account. This can help protect your account even if your credentials are compromised.
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Running a mobile security app, like Lookout, on their device. In the same way you would never run your computer without antivirus software, you should be certain to protect your smartphones and tablets with a security solution.
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THE SOLUTION
Lookout helps protect your digital information at every level – from the device you hold, to the apps and online services you use and the networks you connect to. Lookout also continuously monitors the internet to ensure what matters to you the most – such as social security and credit card numbers – aren’t exposed. And if anything happens, Lookout’s team of experts and a $1 million identity theft insurance policy are here to back you up.
All consumers can scan their email for FREE on Lookout’s website to learn about breaches that may have occurred & take action to secure their data.
Information provided by Hank Schless, Senior Manager of Security Solutions at Lookout