Trigyn Insights | 11 Types of Phishing Attacks You Should be Aware of

February 08, 2023

Phishing is among the most prevalent cybersecurity threats today. Phishing attacks aim to trick a user into providing sensitive information such as account or login information. Cybercriminals often use this type of attack for financial theft or to steal sensitive business information. Therefore, it becomes essential to keep upgrading your IT infrastructure security.

This article will examine the most common types of phishing attacks:

Spear Phishing
The most common type of phishing, spear phishing, is a highly targeted type of attack that targets a specific person or organization. In spear phishing the attacker typically researches their target to make their communication more convincing and has a specific type of information they are trying to acquire. Spear phishing is usually done via email.
Whaling
Whaling is a type of spear phishing that targets senior executives, or other high value targets. Whaling typically targets people who have access to highly sensitive information, broad access to an organization’s confidential information, or access to substantial financial resources.
Vishing
Vishing is a form of phishing that uses voice communication. With vishing the attacker pretends to be a a person or a representative of an organization you trust, in order to steal confidential information.
Smishing
Smishing is a type of phishing that uses text messages or SMS messages to trick individuals into clicking on a malicious link that redirects the victim to a phishing website.
Pharming
Pharming is a type of phishing that involves infecting a victim's computer with malicious code that redirects them to a fake version of a website they routinely use, to steal confidential information.
Deceptive Phishing
Deceptive phishing is a type of phishing where hackers send messages that seem like they are coming from a legitimate source, about an urgent issue such as warnings about a supposed computer virus. The purpose is to fool the user into clicking a malicious link that infects their computer or connects them with a scammer.
Evil Twin Phishing
Evil Twin Phishing is a type of phishing attack that occurs when a hacker creates a fake Wi-Fi network that resembles a legitimate one. When a user logs into this malicious Wi-Fi network, all of their activity can be tracked and sensitive information stolen.
Clone Phishing
With Clone Phishing, a hacker copies an email that the target routinely receives, such as a message from their bank, and adds some misleading information and a malicious link.
Angler Phishing
Angler Phishing is a type of phishing that uses fake social media posts to deceive individuals into giving confidential information or downloading malware.
Domain Spoofing
Domain Spoofing It is a type of phishing when a hacker simulates a known website to trick people into sharing sensitive information. Spoof websites often use URLs that are similar to the URL of a legitimate website, and drive people to the malicious website using phishing emails, or by leveraging common misspellings of the URL of a legitimate website.
Crypto Phishing
Crypto Phishing is a specialized type of phishing attack which seeks to steal crypto keys which are used to access an individual's digital wallet and steal crypto currencies. Crypto phishing can include the use of viruses, spoofed websites and email.