The Evolution of Phishing Techniques and How to Stay One Step Ahead

When examining the various leading malicious threats in the cybersecurity space, phishing regularly rises to the top. While not as dynamic or instantly destructive as something like a DDoS attack, phishing is one of the leading causes of data breaches.

Even with world-leading cybersecurity systems, phishing attacks still result in compromised accounts due to human errors. One of the main reasons that people still fall for phishing scams is due to how advanced these attacks have become. Gone are the days of poorly worded emails riddled with mistakes.

In this article, we’ll explore the evolution of phishing techniques, outline common attacks, and suggest methods that your business can use to stay one step ahead.

The Early Days of Phishing

The earliest recorded phishing attempts arose in the mid-1990s, stemming from a group that pretended to be AOL employees to steal passwords from users on the platform. While phishing originated on instant messaging platforms, it is more commonly associated with email scams, which is the domain where the highest number of attacks occur.

Early phishing scams had none of the precision and strategy that we associate with modern-day fishing. On the contrary, most scams were emails filled with spelling errors, coming from accounts that were clearly not authentic, and involving fairly ridiculous plot lines to grab the attention of the reader.

By simply reading through an email, the majority of people could realize that something was off, with poor spelling and grammar typically being the giveaway. The main method of tricking a user was based in thin or unbelievable lies, which only a few people would fall for in the modern day.

Perhaps the most famous, or better yet notorious, early phishing scam that’s still referenced today is the ‘Nigerian Prince’ scam. In this phishing email, a malicious actor would pretend to be a person of note that has incredible wealth, like a prince from Nigeria. The person states that they have temporarily lost their wealth or are unable to access it.

The only person who can help the Nigerian prince is, of course, you! From there, the hacker asks you to send them money to help get their fortune back, offering you wealth beyond your wildest imagination in return.

While this may sound ridiculous to most people, this same scam is still reportedly pulling in over $700,000 per year by tricking Americans, so keep an eye out for any troubled royalty in your inbox.

How Phishing Has Evolved

Since the early days of phishing, a lot has changed. While initial phishing attempts were amateurish, filled with errors, and easy to spot, this is far from the case nowadays.

Especially with the proliferation of readily accessible AI tools, malicious actors can now craft word-perfect phishing scams by just typing out a small prompt. They can combine these with more advanced pretexts to trick users with more ease. The mythical ‘Nigerian Price’ phishing scam which was common twenty years ago has now morphed into highly sophisticated attacks.

People may receive a spoofed message from a courier service asking to enter their details to update a delivery time or a message from an account that seems like their boss’ email asking them to buy something.

Equally, due to the expansion of internet services, there are now vastly more channels that malicious actors can use to send out phishing scams. For example, these are some of the most common avenues that a phishing scam may take place:

  • Email: The standard phishing location, email scams account for the majority of attacks.
  • Social Media Accounts: The rapid connectivity of social media platforms makes these sites a popular channel for phishing scams.
  • Text Messages: Much like email, SMS texts are a direct way of putting a phishing scam right in front of a potential target. These have become more popular in recent years, with governments around the world releasing warnings to their citizens and urging them to be more careful when interacting with messages.

Malicious actors can also use evasion techniques to get around spam filters and trick people without them knowing they’ve fallen for a scam. One example of this is embedding malicious links within QR codes. When a user scans the code, the link will automatically execute, potentially downloading malware to the device.

Phishing teams can also make use of advanced tactics, like spear phishing, where they create hyper-personalized phishing messages that focus on one person or company. Due to the high degree of research and care poured into these attacks, they can seem incredibly genuine.

Phishing is extremely prominent, with the vast majority of businesses experiencing some form of phishing over the course of a year. In fact, around 85% of organizations experienced a bulk phishing attack in 2022, demonstrating just how widespread this form of attack has become.

Protecting Against Phishing Attacks

It only takes one misclick or one bad decision for a phishing scam to succeed. Any time a phishing scam occurs, the consequences could be disastrous, leading to major security breaches and ransomware events.

No matter how effective your security systems are, there is always a weak link that allows phishing attacks to occur. That weak link is, unfortunately, individuals themselves. The vast majority of phishing breaches occur due to human error, making this a priority when protecting against phishing attacks.

Offering extensive phishing training to employees can help everyone understand what a phishing attack may look like and how to respond in one of these situations. A great baseline of cybersecurity education will help your business stay as safe as possible. Couple this with effective email security solutions, and you’ll be able to greatly reduce your chance of a phishing event.