As technology advances and communication becomes increasingly digitized, cybercriminals are also looking for strategies to access our information. Recently, a phishing mechanism known as Smishing or hacking through SMS has become common.
Index
- what is smishing
- Signs to watch out for
- recommendations
- Protect your information with encryption
What is Smishing?
Smishing or hacking through text messages is a form of phishing, where the cybercriminal sends tricky messages containing fake URLs or phone numbers to the victim’s phone, in order to access personal data or install spyware on the phone. device.
We commonly think that text messages are a little more serious and reliable, therefore we believe in the information that is sent to us and this is taken advantage of by hundreds of hackers who are on the prowl looking to access our personal information.
Normally the victim receives messages such as “Your card has been blocked, please go to the following link to unblock it” or “you have a pending bill regarding your card, contact the following number to resolve it” Sound familiar? These are just two examples of thousands that are sent in the day. After the victim enters the link, they could find a very similar interface, almost the same as that of the bank, and fill out forms with highly confidential data that could even involve bank account passwords. In the event that the victim chooses to call the number, they will meet the cybercriminal who, through persuasion and other tricks, will seek to obtain as much personal information as possible.
In some other cases, the messages arrive as a request for network updates in which the message appears as a pop-up notification and asks if you want to perform the update with a button that says yes and another no. In our eagerness and confidence, we chose to press yes, giving the hacker access to our entire device and allowing them to install different malware to steal and extract our information.
Signs to watch out for
There are some signs that we should pay attention to as they may be an indication that we are being smished. Some of the most common are repeated messages from banks, promotions, and numbers you don’t know. Wrong call history or with contacts you don’t know and have never called. Strange glitches on your device, such as automatic reboots, significantly lower than normal battery life, or failure to send messages. It can also manifest itself with unjustified consumption in your data plan and with a bad signal. These are all indications that you could be a victim of hackers and that your information is at risk.
recommendations
There are some recommendations to avoid being a victim of SMS smishing or hacking. The initial thing is to distrust text messages and be cautious when responding to any. We must pay close attention to the details of the message and detail the information of the same that although many times it is quite similar to an original one, it has components that give them away. We should never press a link that we are not totally sure about and if we see messages from our bank with phone numbers, emails or URLs, the ideal is to look for the official page and call our bank directly to verify the information and thus avoid falling into the fraud.
It is also recommended not to install unknown or unreliable applications and refrain from connecting to public Wi-Fi networks as much as possible, since all of these have security gaps that allow cybercriminals to access our devices and start their attacks.
However, all these measures are not completely effective against the systems that hackers have, therefore, if what you want is totally secure and reliable communication, the ideal option is to have one of the encrypted.io solutions .
Protect your information
with encryption
At Encriptados.io we have different solutions for the care and protection of personal information. If you are looking for peace of mind and security against hackers and third parties. The ideal is to have an encrypted cell phone that keeps your communications totally secure. All the information that enters and leaves your phone will be one hundred percent encrypted and protected. You can also access an Encrypted Sim , which will give you anonymity, protection and a higher level of security, making you untraceable and undetectable anywhere in the world. Or you have the option to install encrypted apps that will provide you with security in your chats and communications, the information you share such as photos, videos or voice notes, will be safe and far from malicious third parties.
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