It's amazing that in this day and age, with our tech-infused
lives, the most effective cyber attacks rely on the oldest tricks in the book.
Take spoofing, for example, which is the tech equivalent of putting on a
disguise to trick people into thinking you're someone else.
According to the handy Cybersecurity to English Dictionary,
spoofing conceals the true source of electronic information by impersonation.
Email spoofing is often used to bypass security filters by pretending the
source is from a trusted location. It's a key component of the millions of
phishing emails sent to users daily in efforts to steal their sensitive or
company information.
Unfortunately, it’s pretty easy for malicious hackers to
spoof email addresses. This is possible because the SMTP (simple mail transfer
protocol) that is used to send and receive emails does not check the sender's
authenticity. Cyberattackers can simply change the sender's address in an email
to look like the message was sent from someone the user trusts. For example,
the sender might seem to come from a coworker, let's say John Smith, whose
email address is johnsmith@domainname.com. However, if you check the sender's
actual user domain, you might see johnsmith22.34@domainname123.com. This is a clear
clue that you're looking at a spoofed email that should be deleted or forwarded
to a phish reporting tool.
As phishing emails become more sophisticated, users should
follow basic security measures when sifting through emails. Take a look at 6 tips BIT has to offer.
Though we can't stop data thieves from trying to hack our
information, that doesn’t mean we have to let them win. Vigilance is key to
thwarting cyberattackers.
If you need more information and tips on email spoofing, contact BIT today. We are happy to help with your cybersecurity training.
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