URL phishing takes things a step further by having the cybercriminal develop a fictitious website that is linked within the email authentication. When people click on it, they are taken to a site that appears to be the real deal but is not.
Phishing URLs are used by cybercriminals to collect sensitive information for nefarious purposes, such as usernames, passwords, or banking information. They send phishing emails to their victims, instructing them to submit important information on a bogus website that looks identical to the real website. URL phishing is carried out using phishing websites and false websites.
How Does it Work?
Hackers develop phishing sites in order to steal personal or otherwise valuable information. They send emails to their victims in an attempt to trick them into visiting the phishing site. These assaults are effective when a victim clicks on the link to a phishing website and enters their confidential and personal information. These URLs are typically disguised as password resets or identity verification for reputable services. The webpage is likewise modified so that the victim is unaware that it is a forgery.
URL phishing works by deceiving the user into performing an action–in this example, browsing a bogus website and disclosing passwords and other information. The site frequently requests that the user reset their password, resubmit personal and financial information in order to confirm their account, or download a ‘software update,’ which is actually malware in disguise.
How to spot URL phishing?
Emails with false URLs frequently have a sense of urgency attached to it, so the target panics and takes urgent action—such as clicking the fraudulent link—before carefully reading the text and recognizing that it's a forgery. When teaching users about URL phishing awareness, they are constantly taught to halt and carefully scrutinize communications before acting on them.
Follow these steps to avoid URL phishing attempts:
Do not click on a link in an email or text message that directs you to a website with which you currently do business or are subscribed to. Instead, navigate to the website on a new browser tab and log into your account directly. If the communication was genuine and there is a problem with your account, the company will warn you when you log in, either on the screen or in a message. Otherwise, the email was most likely a phishing attempt. To be sure, you may also contact the company's customer service manager/agent straight from the site. Further, keep in mind that fraudsters utilize social media angler phishing tactics to hijack real customer care contacts, so be cautious of where your support messages/emails are coming from.
Examine the sender's email address and the URL of the site carefully, even if it appears to be real. Many forms of phishing rely on spoofing well-known email addresses and websites. These can appear to be the genuine article, but upon closer inspection, you'll often notice little changes, such as a ‘.net’ address where it should be a ‘.com.’
If you don't recognize the website that a phishing email directs you to, you don't have to click on the link to learn more. Try a quick Google search for ‘[name of the website] scam’ or the email subject line along with the term ‘scam’ and see what comes up. Fraudsters are prolific – that very phishing email most likely reached many other individuals on its route to you, and news has spread.
The Antidote: Ways to prevent URL phishing
The first line of protection against URL phishing is awareness training. 85% of businesses now provide security awareness training to their staff in order to defend their systems from all types of email-borne dangers. Emails containing incorrect URLs may be scanned and blocked by automation. Three out of every four firms currently use threat intelligence feeds and blocklists to prevent email phishing communications out of their systems.
A more holistic and comprehensive method to safeguard your communication systems is EmailAuth’s email authentication tools, such as the free DMARC checker, DMARC record generator, etc. EmailAuth also offers complete email authentication services, including BIMI, SPF, DKIM, etc. Proactiveness and awareness are the first two steps required for successfully avoiding a phishing attack, and including EmailAuth in your security measures beefs that up considerably.
Source :-https://medium.com/@EmailAuth/what-is-url-phishing-heres-how-to-avoid-getting-scammed-8ed6ee0797c1
