What is Smishing? What are it’s type?

Smishing is a combination of SMS and Phishing. Smishing is an operation that helps offenders to steal money or identification from suspects or both as a consequence of a text message response.

Types of Smish messages

Smish messages often make you feel urgent without a second thought to get you to act quickly.

Smish messages may also urge you to respond to keep something bad from happening right away.

Smishing can either be independent or be used as a Vishing sub-set.

How does it work?

Smishing uses social engineering tactics to expose personal or financial knowledge to receivers of text messages. Smishing is also used to spread ransomware and malware via links or attachments capable of stealing information and other harmful activities. Messages typically contain some form of urgency, intimidation or alert to try to get immediate action from the receiver.

Ways to avoid Smishing

• Do not click the links in the messages.
• Do not respond to text messages requesting you for private or financial information.
• Never call an unknown sender’s phone number contained in a message.
• Recognize risks from financial issues or deals that seem too perfect for what they are to be valid.
• Test mobile links in some situations by taping and keeping the connection on your smartphone so you can see where it is heading.

Why is Awareness Important?

Each company has to warn staff as part of its cybersecurity strategy about the risks of smishing. Employees are best able to recognize, prevent and monitor potential threats through app protection awareness training that can damage sensitive data and network infrastructure. Mock phishing, smishing, and other examples of threats are usually used as part of the training to assess and improve good behavior. TIKAJ PhishGrid service does the same and helps you get more insights about your last line of defence and educate them using different real case scenarios.