What is Spear Phishing: 5 keys to protect your company

Spear phishing is a highly targeted cyberattack executed through personalized emails or messages to deceive specific individuals, characteristics that make it dangerous and effective.

What is spear phishing?

The definition of spear phishing is as follows: it is a cyberattack technique that focuses on specific targets, unlike traditional phishing, which targets a broad audience. Cybercriminals investigate and gather information about their victims in a spear phishing attack to create personalized and convincing messages. These messages often appear legitimate and may include details such as names, job titles, and professional relationships, increasing the likelihood that the victim will fall for it.
The main goal of spear phishing is to trick the victim into revealing sensitive information, such as passwords, bank details, or sensitive corporate information. Attackers can use this information to commit fraud, steal identities, or infiltrate corporate networks.  

What is the difference between phishing and spear phishing?

Phishing and spear phishing are cyberattack techniques that seek to trick victims into revealing sensitive information, but they differ in their approach and execution.
Phishing is a massive and widespread attack. Cybercriminals send emails or messages to many people, hoping that some will fall for it. These messages usually appear legitimate and may include links to fake websites that mimic the real ones. The goal is to obtain passwords, credit card numbers, or personal data. Due to their massive nature, phishing messages are often less personalized and easier to detect.
On the other hand, spear phishing is a targeted and personalized attack. Attackers investigate their victims and gather specific information about them, such as names, job titles, and professional relationships. They use this information to create highly personalized messages that appear to come from trusted sources. Due to their level of customization, spear phishing attacks are harder to detect and have a higher success rate. The goal is the same: to obtain confidential information, but the approach is much more sophisticated and targeted.
If you want to learn more about phishing techniques, go here→ Phishing: what it is and how many types there are.  

How spear phishing attacks work

Due to their high personalization, spear phishing attacks require extensive preparation, reconnaissance actions, and the search for exposed sensitive information by attackers. The phases of preparation and execution of spear phishing are usually:

Choosing the Target

The first step in this type of attack is choosing the target. Attackers carefully select their victims based on their position, access to sensitive information, or influence within an organization.
To choose a target, attackers conduct a thorough investigation using various sources of information, such as social media, corporate websites, and public databases.
Depending on the result sought by the attacker, the target may be a senior manager of an organization or a person with a relevant patrimony, but also an employee with sufficient capacity for action to provide certain keys or carry out a specific action.

Target Research

Once the target has been selected, attackers are dedicated to collecting detailed information about the victim to increase the chances of success of the attack. This research phase involves the use of various techniques and sources of information.
Attackers usually start by searching for public information available on social networks, corporate websites, and public databases. They analyze profiles on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms to obtain data on the victim’s professional and personal life. They can also review press releases, news articles, and blogs for more context about the organization and the victim’s role.
Once this information is obtained, attackers enter the rest of the web’s layers, the deep web, and the dark web, looking for leaked and exposed sensitive information about the victim or the organization to which they belong. This type of information, as it is not public and the victim is unaware of its exposure, is the most effective for the attack’s success.
In addition, attackers can use social engineering techniques to obtain additional information. This includes sending test emails or making phone calls to collect specific data without raising suspicion.
This information includes details about the victim’s contacts, communication habits, and personal and professional interests, which the attackers use to personalize the attack.

Creating and sending the message

The final step in a spear phishing attack is creating and sending the message. Once attackers have selected and studied their target, they use the information gathered to craft a highly personalized and compelling message. This message is designed to appear legitimate and relevant to the victim, thus increasing the odds that they will fall for the trap.
The message can take various forms, such as an email, a text message, or a social media communication. Attackers mimic the communication style of a person or entity trusted by the victim, such as a colleague, superior, or financial institution. The content of the message may include malicious links, infected attachments, or requests for sensitive information or certain actions.
Attackers can use spoofing techniques to make the sender appear legitimate, increasing the message’s credibility. They also often employ urgency or fear tactics to pressure the victim to act quickly without much thought or analysis.
Once the message is ready, the attackers send it to the victim, who opens it and follows the instructions provided. If the victim falls for the trap, they may reveal sensitive information, such as login credentials, or download malware that compromises their device and the organization’s network.  

Keys to preventing spear phishing cyberattack

The keys cover many factors, from the organization’s strategy to the person’s analytical attitude.

Avoid suspicious links and files

One of the main tactics used in spear phishing is sending emails with malicious links or attachments. These links can redirect to fake websites designed to steal login credentials, while attachments may contain malware that infects the victim’s device.
To protect yourself, it’s crucial to be cautious about receiving unsolicited emails, especially those that contain links or attachments. Before clicking on a link, it is advisable to check the URL by hovering over it to ensure it leads to a legitimate website. Also, it is important not to download or open attachments from unknown or suspicious senders.

Keep software up to date

Cybercriminals often use software vulnerabilities to carry out their attacks. These vulnerabilities are flaws or weaknesses in the code that can be exploited to access sensitive systems and data.
When software developers discover these vulnerabilities, they often release updates or patches. If software is not updated regularly, these vulnerabilities remain open and can be exploited by attackers. Therefore, keeping software current is crucial to closing these security gaps.
In addition, software updates fix vulnerabilities and improve system functionality and performance, providing a more secure and efficient user experience. This includes operating systems, web browsers, applications, and security programs.
Enabling automatic updates when possible is advisable to ensure the software is always up to date. It’s also essential to look for update notifications and apply them immediately.  

Cybersecurity training

Spear phishing is based on social engineering, where attackers trick victims into revealing sensitive information. Cybersecurity education and awareness helps individuals and organizations recognize and avoid these fraud attempts.
Proper cybersecurity training teaches users to identify suspicious emails, malicious links, and dangerous attachments. It also provides them with the necessary tools to verify the authenticity of communications and avoid falling into common traps.
In addition, cybersecurity training fosters a culture of security within organizations. Well-informed employees are more likely to follow security best practices, such as using strong passwords, enabling two-factor authentication, and regularly updating software. This significantly reduces the risk of a spear phishing attack succeeding.

Connect with cybersecurity and cyber intelligence experts

Cybersecurity and cyber intelligence professionals have the knowledge and experience to identify and mitigate threats before they cause harm. By working with experts, organizations can benefit from a thorough assessment of their security systems and receive personalized recommendations to strengthen their defenses.
In addition, these professionals are aware of the latest cybersecurity trends and the tactics used by cybercriminals, allowing them to anticipate and neutralize potential attacks.
On the other hand, cyber intelligence experts specialize in data analysis and identifying suspicious patterns. They can monitor networks for unusual activity and provide early warnings about potential threats. Their ability to analyze large volumes of information and detect anomalous behavior and open security breaches is crucial to preventing spear phishing attacks.
You may be interested in→ Keys to data leak prevention.

Establish a proactive cybersecurity strategy

A proactive cybersecurity strategy involves anticipating threats and taking preventative measures before security incidents occur. This not only reduces the risk of successful attacks, but also minimizes the impact of any intrusion attempts.
The proactive security strategy begins with a thorough risk assessment to identify potential vulnerabilities in the organization’s systems and processes. Based on this assessment, appropriate security measures can be implemented. In addition, clear policies and procedures for information security management must be established.
Finally, it is essential to continuously monitor the attack surface, both internally and externally, for suspicious activity, open breaches, and exposed vulnerabilities.  

Relevant examples of spear phishing

Numerous spear phishing attacks have been reported in Spain and elsewhere, demonstrating the technique’s proliferation. Some highlights are:

• Banco Santander (2020). Victims received emails that appeared to be from the bank, requesting that they update their security information. This led to several customers revealing their banking credentials.
• Universities in the UK (2020). The attackers posed as the university’s IT department and sent emails to students and staff at several UK universities requesting that they update their passwords. Several university accounts were compromised after the attack.
• Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign (2016). John Podesta was Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager when she was the victim of a spear phishing attack. After receiving an email that seemed to come from Google and following the procedure it indicated, he changed his password on the platform. This allowed hackers to access his emails, which were then leaked.
• Tech Companies in Germany (2019). The attackers emailed a group of German tech companies that appeared to come from IT service providers. In those emails, employees were asked to download important software updates, which led to the installation of malware on the companies’ systems.

Enthec helps you protect your organization against spear phishing

Through its automated and continuous monitoring technology of the web, deep web, dark web, social networks, and forums, Enthec helps organizations and individuals to locate the leaked and exposed information within the reach of cybercriminals, to neutralize spare phishing attacks, implementing a proactive protection strategy.
If you need to learn more about how Enthec can help you protect your organization and its employees from spear phishing, don’t hesitate to contact us.