Phishing and Pharming: What is the difference?

Phishing and Pharming: What is the Difference?

Let’s dive into the fascinating world of cybersecurity and explore the critical differences between phishing and pharming. These two terms might sound similar, but they operate in distinct ways, targeting unsuspecting users and their sensitive information. Buckle up as we unravel the mystery behind these cyber threats!

What are Phishing Scams and How Do You Spot Them?

Phishing scams are a type of cyberattack that tricks people into sharing personal information.

Phishing scams are becoming more sophisticated and difficult to spot, but there are still some easy ways to identify them.

The most common way is when you receive an email from a company you do not recognize with a request for personal information or often asks for your password. Another way is if the email asks you to click on a link or attachment and enter your login credentials.

What is Pharming and How does it Differentiate from Phishing?

Pharming is the act of sending fake emails to users and fooling them into revealing personal information. It is a form of social engineering that is used to steal confidential information from the victim.

Pharming is a type of cyberattack that involves sending fake emails to users and fooling them into revealing personal information. The victim may be tricked into giving away their personal information, like credit card details or bank account numbers, which can then be used by the hackers for illegal purposes.

Pharming differs from phishing in many ways. Phishing usually involves sending an email to a user with malicious links and attachments, while pharming relies on social engineering techniques and does not involve any attachments or links in the email itself.

3 Ways Cyber Criminals are Using Pharming to Target Global Citizens

Pharming schemes can be very successful because they exploit human nature by using the trust factor. For example, when people see the name of a bank, they know on a website they are more likely to enter their credentials.

There are three ways that cyber criminals use pharming to target global citizens:

  • Domain spoofing is when an attacker registers the same domain name as the victim’s bank and creates a fake website.
  • DNS hijacking is when an attacker takes control of a victim’s internet service provider (ISP) or router and redirects them to fraudulent websites.
  • Man-in-the-middle attack: Cybercriminals will set up a phony website that looks like the real one. They will then intercept the user’s traffic and send them to their phony site by posing as the real website.

How to Protect Yourself from Phishing and Pharming Attacks

Phishing and pharming are two types of attacks that can be carried out by hackers. The most common way for a hacker to steal your information is by sending you a link that looks like an email from your bank, but is in fact fake.

There are some ways you can protect yourself from these attacks:

  • Use two-factor authentication. This means that when logging into a website, you will need to provide a code sent to your phone as well as the password.
  • Install anti-virus software on your computer and mobile devices. This will scan all incoming files before they are opened and act as protection against any malicious software or viruses that might try to harm your device.
  • Be wary of email with attachments or links to websites.

Conclusion: Stay Safe Online & Avoid Getting Hacked

In conclusion, we should all stay safe online. We should avoid getting hacked and take some precautions like not clicking on suspicious links, not connecting to public Wi-Fi networks and never giving out our personal information.

Source: uscybersecurity.com