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Do you think nobody uses SMS these days? Many people feel that SMS is a thing of the past and ignore the dangers of communicating via SMS. But hackers are aware of this and are ready to exploit people’s weaknesses. Considering recent attacks, SMS attacks are still a popular method used by hackers for phishing. These types of SMS attacks are called SMS phishing, in short, ‘Smishing’. So, here are 4 reasons behind SMS attacks.

4 Reasons Behind SMS Attacks

1. On our list of 4 reasons behind SMS attacks, the companies come first. The companies still send SMS messages to their customers. They frequently use SMS services when they need to send a text message, especially during discount periods.
2. The second reason on our list of 4 reasons why hackers prefer SMS is the structure of SMS messages. Hackers don’t have to be formal, like in fake emails, because they contain fewer words. That’s why they are less likely to make grammatical mistakes while writing.
3. The third reason behind SMS attacks is that, in fact, SMS messages are not a thing of the past. Because it is easy to use and comfortable, people always communicate using SMS. Since all phones have SMS features, it seems impossible to be entirely out of use.
4. Another reason why hackers prefer SMS is that SMS’s usually contain shortened URLs. Since the character limit for text messages is 160, companies prefer to make room for their announcements by shortening long URLs. Therefore, the URLs used by hackers do not attract attention.

When you hover over these legitimate seeming URLs, the site you will go to appears, but often hackers link the original site to the phishing site they created. That’s why it doesn’t work to hover over it. However, you can tell if the site is suspicious by clicking the link.

But since the operating system on the phone processes the URLs in SMS’s, any text similar to a URL becomes clickable, making it easier for hackers to trick people. So any URL that might look suspicious in an email can appear quite normal in SMS messages.

Significant Characteristics of Fake SMS Messages

Hackers may try to deceive you with SMS messages that appear to be sent to the wrong person. All they want is to attract enough attention to make you click on the link. We also call this method, “reverse authentication” psychology. These SMS messages say that you won a raffle or a discount voucher. Even if the message is not addressed to you, they try to make you feel curious and click the link.

Also, the text displayed in blue characters by your phone’s operating system does not actually show the site you will be directed to; it shows the address of the fake site created to deceive you. When you click on the link, you leave the SMS application and directed to your browser. At this point, you can see the site that the link directs you to by moving your mouse over the URL.

However, a user who is not aware of phishing can click on the link without hesitation to receive the gift. In this case, they will ask for your personal information to verify your identity. When you verify your information and log in, the fake site opens. After that, they ask for your credit card information on the fake site.

3 Things We Can Do Against 4 Reasons Behind SMS Attacks

1. Keep your eyes open for clues!

Hackers usually make spelling errors, and messages they sent contain typos. Educate yourself with our cybersecurity awareness training tool to avoid hacks. Our tools help you to set up long-term, strategic preparation and prevention plans by scheduling. We offer you a strong interface to find weak spots.

2. Test your devices using email gap analysis tools!

Email Gap Analysis Tool regularly test your software (such as firewalls, anti-virus programs). The results allow you to identify bugs in the program and quickly and easily take the necessary action before the cyberattacks. Our Email Gap Analysis Tool scans your system to find modified functions in your mail servers. It also has examples to assess the inadequate setup and to make suggestions for better use.

3. Scan the web for compromised information with cyber threat intelligence tools!

Typically, individuals are compromised as a result of security vulnerabilities in third-parties. For example, once hackers get into a system, they steal lots of passwords and usernames and use it somewhere else. Cyber Threat Intelligence tools scan the internet, search for signs and details that could constitute a violation of your data privacy. This shortens the time between the infringement of data and the protection, thereby reducing malicious activity harms.

Protect yourself using our cybersecurity solutions against ransomware, phishing, other kinds of recent attacks.

“This post is originally published at www.phishing.org.uk”