Hackers target Indian organisations with spear phishing

Source: The post is based on the article “Hackers target Indian organisations with spear phishing” published in The Hindu on 31st May 2023

What is the News?

According to a report, as many as 53% of organizations studied in India were victims of spear phishing in 2022.

What is Spear Phishing?

Spear Phishing is an email or electronic communications scam targeted towards a specific individual, organization or business. 

It is a targeted attempt to steal sensitive information such as account credentials or financial information from a specific victim, often for malicious reasons. 

How does Spear Phishing work?

A spear phishing email uses social engineering techniques to urge the victim to click on a malicious link or attachment.

Additionally, the email will blatantly ask the recipient to respond urgently, such as transferring a specific sum of money or sending personal data such as a banking password.

Because the emails are written in a highly familiar tone and refer to personal information about the recipient, victims mistakenly believe they know and trust the sender and respond to the request.

Once the victim completes the intended action, the attacker can steal the credentials of a targeted legitimate user and enter a network undetected.