Sharekhan Blog

Beware of Pretexting: A Sneaky Phishing Tactic

Sep 16, 2024

How Pretexting Works:

Step 1: Attackers learn details about their victim, like occupation, hobbies, recent events, and other sensitive data in order to craft a plausible tale or pretext directed towards the victim.

Step 2: Using the carefully researched pretext, the attacker tries to make contact with the victim by pretending to be a reliable person or a higher authority.

Step 3: They utilize the pretext to force the victim into doing something detrimental or to obtain private information.

Common Pretexting Instances:

IT Support - There has been fraudulent activity on your account. Enter your password to ensure the safety of your account.	CEO Fraud – I need your assistance with an urgent financial transaction.
Survey - Participate and fill out the survey to get your reward.	Security Alert - There is malware on your device. To fix it, download this software.

Signs to look out for Pretexting:

Urgency – Requests that create a sense of panic.	Lack of Personalization - Requests that result in inaccurate information or generic greetings.
Survey - Participate in a survey and claim your reward.	Incorrect Grammar – Typing errors, spelling mistakes or poor use of words & language.

Protect Yourself:

Verify - Examine the authenticity of requests.	Enable Multi-factor Authentication - Add an extra layer of security by adding multi-factor authentication.
Be cautious - Don't provide sensitive information without being extremely careful and conscious.	Stay informed - Educate yourself about different types and recent instances of cyber attacks

Always remember that attackers rely on trickery and manipulation for pretexting. The actions listed above, which have been carefully curated by our cyber experts at Sharekhan to assist you in being cautious and proactive against any potential danger directed at you, will help you protect yourself from these sneaky phishing attempts.