Smishing is a form of phishing that uses SMS text messages, rather than the more conventional email, to target cyber-attacks against individuals. Many smishing messages contain a malicious link. If the recipient clicks the link, they will land on a spoof site where personal data and financial details are stolen or a malware infection is initiated. Some smishing messages will encourage the recipient to call a number where a criminal will attempt to extract sensitive data.
Smishing is a popular method cybercriminals use because mobile devices and SMS text messages are ubiquitous. Most people own a mobile phone, and 23 billion SMS messages are sent daily. Unlike emails, which have a 20% open rate, 100% of people open a text message. This makes SMS an ideal way for cybercriminals to reach a target audience.
What Happens in a Smishing Attack?
When a cybercriminal decides to carry out a Smishing campaign, they perform several steps:
Step One: Build Your Target Base
A cybercriminal creates a target list to send smishing texts like a marketer decides whom to send marketing emails to. Lists of mobile phone numbers are easily accessible on dark web marketplaces. A recent example was a database of over 750 million mobile phone numbers of Indian citizens that went up for sale for $3000.
Step Two: Create the Campaign
The next stage in the smishing attack is creating a text message to encourage the recipient to click a malicious URL or call a phone number. In the case of a malicious link smishing message, a spoof website is created to capture data or initiate a malware infection. Smishing messages are made more realistic by looking like they have come from a known entity, like a bank. GenAI now allows cybercriminals to generate believable and manipulative text messages for smishing campaigns.
Step Three: Delivering the Smishing Message
The smishing message is sent using tools such as an SMS gateway, spoofing tools, or infected devices.
Step Four: Completing the Attack
If the recipient clicks the malicious URL, the next step is data theft or malware infection. If the smishing text requests that a recipient call a phone number, the cybercriminal at the end of the line will attempt to extract personal data and financial details, or the caller will incur charges.
Types of Smishing
Smishing messages reflect brands and events. Examples of smishing include:
- Delivery firm scams
- Tax season scams
- Fake surveys.
- Gift card scams
- Bank account fake notifications
- Password reset scams
What Happens After a Successful Smishing Attack?
Stolen information gathered from a smishing attack can be used to create fake identities, commit fraud, and sell on the dark web to carry out further attacks. If malware is installed, it can steal bank details and other personal data.
Smishing can be hard to detect as cybercriminals use evasive tactics, making it difficult for individuals to identify the text as malicious. The smishing texts often masquerade as known brands, for example, a tax office, bank, or delivery firm. Smishing texts may also be highly targeted, naming the recipient to establish trust. Social engineering is sometimes used for highly targeted smishing attacks. The attackers will build a rapport with the target, find out information about them, and even speak to them. The attacker will then incorporate this intelligence into the message to make it more believable. These evasion and manipulation tactics make smishing challenging to detect.
Susan Morrow
- SECURITY AWARENESS TRAINING
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