Why Phishing is prevalent?

Phishing has nothing to do with fishing. Phishing is simply the fraudulent practice of sending emails (and sms, messengers or direct messages on social media) purporting to be from reputable companies in order to induce individuals to reveal personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers. It is one of the oldest and most common cyber-attacks still in practice to date.

What makes them prevalent?

Phishing attacks are prevalent for several reasons, making them one of the most common and effective methods used by cybercriminals. Here are some factors that contribute to their prevalence:

? Social Engineering: Phishing attacks often rely on psychological manipulation, exploiting human emotions like fear, curiosity, greed and or urgency. This makes it easier to ruse individuals into taking actions they shouldn't, such as clicking on malicious links or providing sensitive information. At this point i always think of wrting a big banner or billboard....DO NOT CLICK BEFORE YOU THINK.

? Low Barrier to Entry: Phishing attacks require minimal technical expertise and can be executed by individuals with basic knowledge of email and web technologies. This accessibility makes it attractive to a wide range of attackers. It is estimated that over 300 billion emails are sent and received each day worldwide. At this point another billboard.....DO NOT TAKE THE BAIT.

? Mass Emailing: Since it so easy to send an email, phishers can send out large volumes of phishing emails at a low cost, hoping that a small percentage of recipients will fall for the scam. In fact, their target is less than 40 per cent success rate. A high percentage success rate is breaking news to phishers. The sheer number of emails sent increases the likelihood of success. Another billboard to avoid being spammed...ENSURE YOU ARE ABLE TO FILTER EMAILS.

? Email Spoofing: Spoofing can target emails, phone calls, websites, or network protocols by altering the sender address, display name, number, or URL. Attackers can easily spoof email addresses to make their messages appear legitimate. This can deceive recipients into believing that the email is from a trusted source. Banner here is SCRUTINIZE AN EMAIL CAREFULLY

? Target Diversity: Phishing attacks can target individuals, organizations, or industries indiscriminately. Attackers can customize their messages to target specific demographics or organizations, increasing their chances of success. The banner will read...TRUST BUT VERIFY.

? Economic Incentive: Phishing attacks can be highly profitable for cybercriminals. They can steal sensitive financial information, login credentials, or deploy ransomware, which can result in substantial financial gains. Billboard message: DO NOT FALL A VICTIM, MONEY IS INVOLVED.

? Constant Evolution: The attack landscape keeps on mutating and evolving. Phishing techniques continually evolve to bypass security measures. Attackers adapt to new defenses and use sophisticated tactics to increase their success rates, without being noticed. The banner will read. DO NOT TRUST ANYONE - Zero trust.

? Automation: Phishing attacks can be automated using tools and scripts, allowing attackers to launch large-scale campaigns with minimal effort. Examples of such tools include Zphisher, Evilginx2, Gophish etc. Billboard will read, BE VIGILANT, THEY HAVE AUTOMATION TOO.

? Lack of Cybersecurity Awareness: Many individuals and organizations still lack awareness of phishing threats and the importance of cybersecurity practices. This lack of awareness can make people more susceptible to falling for phishing attempts. Billboard : IGNORANCE IS NO DEFENCE, Ukitaka unapigwa, usipotaka pia unapigwa tu.

? Evasion of Security Measures: I talked of ensuring you have a filter for your emails earlier on. Now, here it gets murky, phishers employ various tactics to evade email filtering and security solutions, making it challenging for organizations to block all phishing attempts. Billboard, YOU NEED TO KNOW YOUR ENEMY INSIDE OUT.

Since you may not easily tell which email will take you down, we have to fight this battle proactively. To combat the prevalence of phishing attacks, it's essential for individuals and organizations to prioritize cybersecurity awareness and education, implement robust email filtering and security solutions, and practice and instill safe online behavior, such as verifying the authenticity of emails and avoiding clicking on suspicious links or downloading unknown attachments.