Speaker 1: All right, so you sent over a ton of info
Speaker 1: on fishing. Yeah, even excerpts from a book on the topic.
Speaker 1: Looks like we're taking a deep dive into the world
Speaker 1: of online stams today.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 1: We'll uncover how fishing works, where it lurks, and most importantly,
Speaker 1: how you can protect yourself from falling victim.
Speaker 2: What's fascinating about fishing is how much it relies on
Speaker 2: human psychology. Yeah, rather than just technical tricks. It's like
Speaker 2: a digital con game, preying on our trust, right, and
Speaker 2: our tendency to overlook details.
Speaker 1: That's what's so unsettling about it. It feels like anyone
Speaker 1: could fall for it, even if you think you're tech savvy.
Speaker 2: Absolutely. Think back to the example in the book about
Speaker 2: that fake PayPal login page. Okay, it highlights just how
Speaker 2: easily we can be fooled. If you're not paying close attention,
Speaker 2: you might not even notice that the web address is
Speaker 2: slightly off. Oh wow, and that's all it takes for
Speaker 2: them to snag your login info.
Speaker 1: Okay, that's already making me want to double check all
Speaker 1: my online accounts. Yeah, but before we get to ahead
Speaker 1: of ourselves, let's rewind a bit. The book mentioned the
Speaker 1: history of phishing, It's actually been around longer than I realized.
Speaker 2: You're right, it might seem like a modern problem. Yeah,
Speaker 2: but its roots actually go back to phone scams, even
Speaker 2: before the Internet was widespread. Wow, it's amazing how it's
Speaker 2: managed to adapt and thrive in the digital age.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 2: We've gone from simple email scams to elaborate schemes using
Speaker 2: websites as ams, social media, even video conferencing software.
Speaker 1: It's kind of terrifying how adaptable it is. Yeah, and
Speaker 1: speaking of adapting, didn't the COVID nineteen pandemic really give
Speaker 1: fishers a boost? Oh? Everyone was suddenly online, shopping and
Speaker 1: working remotely. It seems like a scammer's dream.
Speaker 2: It was a perfect storm for them.
Speaker 1: Wow.
Speaker 2: Remember Google reported as staggering eighteen million COVID related phishing
Speaker 2: emails daily on Gmail alone back in twenty twenty. Seriously,
Speaker 2: but it wasn't just a sheer volume of targets. The
Speaker 2: pandemic created a climate of fear and uncertainty, which Fisher's
Speaker 2: expertly exploited. They preyed on people's anxiety about health, finances
Speaker 2: and even getting essential supplies.
Speaker 1: So they were tapping into those raw emotions to trick
Speaker 1: people exactly. That's just devious. That makes you realize how
Speaker 1: important it is to be aware of these tactics.
Speaker 2: Right.
Speaker 1: The book breaks down all the different types of phishing
Speaker 1: out there, which seems like a good place to start
Speaker 1: understanding the complexity of this threat.
Speaker 2: Absolutely, it could be helpful to categorize them, okay. Broadly speaking,
Speaker 2: we have social engineering fishing okay, which uses psychological manipulation,
Speaker 2: and tech driven fishing, which relies more on exploiting technical loopholes.
Speaker 1: Let's start with social engineering, sure, can you give me
Speaker 1: some examples of how that works in practice?
Speaker 2: Imagine you get an email that looks exactly like it's
Speaker 2: from your bank, urging you to update your account info
Speaker 2: due to some security breach. It might even have the
Speaker 2: bank's logo and branding.
Speaker 1: Okay.
Speaker 2: It creates a sense of urgency, making you act quickly
Speaker 2: without thinking too hard.
Speaker 1: Right.
Speaker 2: That's deceptive fishing using fear and a ready to manipulate you.
Speaker 1: That's pretty scary. I can see how easy it would
Speaker 1: be to fall for that, especially if you're already stressed
Speaker 1: about online security exactly.
Speaker 2: And then there's spearfishing, which is even more targeted okay.
Speaker 2: Instead of a mass email. It's a message crafted specifically
Speaker 2: for you, maybe referencing your job, your recent purchases, or
Speaker 2: even using information pulled from your social media.
Speaker 1: Wow.
Speaker 2: It's all designed to make you believe the message is
Speaker 2: legitimate and gain your trust.
Speaker 1: Wow. So it's like they're doing their homework on you
Speaker 1: before they strike exactly. And what about whaling? I remember
Speaker 1: that term from the book. It sounds pretty intense.
Speaker 2: Whaling is all about going after the big fish CEOs, politicians, celebrities,
Speaker 2: anyone with high level access or influence. These attacks are
Speaker 2: even more sophisticated, often involving a combination of social engineering,
Speaker 2: technical tricks, yeah, and meticulous research to make this gam
Speaker 2: scene completely believable.
Speaker 1: Wow.
Speaker 2: The potential payoff for the attacker is much higher, so
Speaker 2: they're willing to put in the extra effort.
Speaker 1: So it's like a high stakes game of cat and
Speaker 1: mouse with fishers constantly upping their game. This is all
Speaker 1: starting to feel a bit overwhelming.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 1: Is it even possible to stay ahead of these guys?
Speaker 2: It definitely feels that way sometimes, right. Yeah, But don't worry.
Speaker 2: We'll get to the ways you can protect yourself. Okay,
Speaker 2: before we do that, let's take a look at tech
Speaker 2: driven fishing. Okay, it's just as important to understand.
Speaker 1: Okay, So if social engineering is about tricking the user,
Speaker 1: what does tech driven fishing focus on.
Speaker 2: It's all about using technical tricks to bypass security measures
Speaker 2: and gain access to your information. Okay. One example is
Speaker 2: DNS based fishing, which essentially hijacks the Internet's address book
Speaker 2: the DNS to redirect you to a fake website even
Speaker 2: if you type the correct URL.
Speaker 1: So even if I'm being careful about checking web addresses,
Speaker 1: i could still end up on a fishing site.
Speaker 2: Unfortunately.
Speaker 1: Yes, that's unnerving.
Speaker 2: And then there's proxy based fishing, which messes with your
Speaker 2: browser settings to send you to those fake sites without
Speaker 2: your knowledge. It's like someone secretly changing the directions in
Speaker 2: your GPS leading you to the wrong destination.
Speaker 1: Sneaky. So it's not enough to just be vigilant. You
Speaker 1: need to have some technical know how to really protect yourself.
Speaker 1: Is that what content injection phishing is about.
Speaker 2: That's a different beast. It's like a digital trojan horse. Okay.
Speaker 2: Instead of creating an entirely fake website, attackers sneak malicious
Speaker 2: code into legitimate websites. You might visit regularly. Oh wow,
Speaker 2: this code can then steal your data or redirect you
Speaker 2: to a phishing site without you even realizing it.
Speaker 1: So it's like a wolf in sheep's clothing. A trusted
Speaker 1: website suddenly becomes a trap. It seems like phishing is
Speaker 1: everywhere online.
Speaker 2: You're not wrong. The book actually talks about how phishing
Speaker 2: has expanded beyond email to exploit a wide range of channels.
Speaker 2: It's something to be aware of, for sure.
Speaker 1: So where else should we be on the lookout for
Speaker 1: these scams? I mean besides email, which already makes me
Speaker 1: nervous enough.
Speaker 2: Well, think about how much you use your phone these days. Yeah,
Speaker 2: SMS phishing or smishing uses text mess to try and
Speaker 2: trick you. They might send a link that looks like
Speaker 2: it's from your bank or a delivery service, trying to
Speaker 2: get you to click and give away your info.
Speaker 1: Oh I've seen those before. Yeah, the ones that say
Speaker 1: your package is delayed and you need to click a
Speaker 1: link to reschedule delivery. I always thought those seemed fishy.
Speaker 2: You're right to be suspicious. And then their's social media.
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, it's a breeding ground for fishing, right with
Speaker 2: fake quizzes, contests or too good to be true offers
Speaker 2: all designed to lure you into clicking a malicious link
Speaker 2: or giving away personal info. Wow, and even those comments
Speaker 2: sections can be dangerous. Sometimes they'll contain links to phishing
Speaker 2: sites disguised as helpful resources or related articles.
Speaker 1: It's scary how they managed to blend in with legitimate content. Yeah,
Speaker 1: and what about public Wi Fi? I use it all
Speaker 1: the time at coffee shops and airports. It's never occurred
Speaker 1: to me that it could be a fishing risk.
Speaker 2: That's a common misconception. Really, public Wi Fi networks can
Speaker 2: be a gold mine for fishers. Wow, you probably heard
Speaker 2: it evil twin Wi Fi networks? I think so those
Speaker 2: fake hotspots set up to mimic legitimate ones. Right. If
Speaker 2: you connect to one of these thinking it's the coffee
Speaker 2: shop's Wi Fi, the attacker can potentially intercept all your
Speaker 2: Internet traffic, including your usernames, passwords, and even financial.
Speaker 1: Info, so that free internet might come at a hidden cost. Yanks. Yeah,
Speaker 1: I'm definitely going to be more careful about connecting to
Speaker 1: public Wi Fi from now on. The book also mentioned
Speaker 1: something about Bluetooth fishing, which sounds wild to me. Bluetooth
Speaker 1: is for headphones and speakers right, right, How could that
Speaker 1: be used for fishing?
Speaker 2: Sounds strange, but fishers are always looking for creative ways
Speaker 2: to exploit technology. Yeah, bluetooth fishing takes advantage of how
Speaker 2: pairing works.
Speaker 1: Okay.
Speaker 2: Imagine you're in a public place and your phone's Bluetooth
Speaker 2: is on searching for devices, right. An attacker can send
Speaker 2: a pairing request that looks like it's from a harmless
Speaker 2: device like headphones or a fitness tracker. Oh gosh, but
Speaker 2: if you accept that request, they could potentially gain access
Speaker 2: to your phone and steal data, install malware, or even
Speaker 2: take control of certain functions.
Speaker 1: Okay, that's officially terrifying. It's making me rethink my whole
Speaker 1: approach to bluetooth.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 1: I usually just leave it on all the time for convenience, right,
Speaker 1: But now I'm thinking that might not be the smartest move.
Speaker 2: It's always better to be safe than sorry. Yeah, disable
Speaker 2: bluetooth when you're not using it, and only pair with
Speaker 2: devices you trust. Okay, it's a simple step that can
Speaker 2: make a big difference in protecting yourself.
Speaker 1: You've given me a lot to think about already. It
Speaker 1: seems like phishing is lurking around every corner. Of the Internet.
Speaker 1: But the book did have a section on how to
Speaker 1: protect ourselves?
Speaker 2: Right absolutely?
Speaker 1: What are some of the key takeaways?
Speaker 2: Awareness is the first step, and you're already doing that
Speaker 2: by diving into this topic. But when it comes to
Speaker 2: practical steps, learning to scrutinize URLs is crucial.
Speaker 1: Okay.
Speaker 2: Attackers use all sorts of clever tricks to make fake
Speaker 2: URLs look real, So it's all about knowing the red flags.
Speaker 1: What should we be looking for. I have to admit
Speaker 1: I don't always pay close attention to URLs, especially when
Speaker 1: I'm browsing on my phone.
Speaker 2: That's understandable. One common tactic is domain spoofing, where they
Speaker 2: create domain names that are very similar to legitimate ones. Yeah,
Speaker 2: I think misspellings, similar sounding words, adding extra words, or
Speaker 2: even hijacking personal names.
Speaker 1: Wow.
Speaker 2: They might use bit squatting bit squatting, which exploits those
Speaker 2: tiny typos we all make sometimes. For example, imagine you're
Speaker 2: trying to visit example dot com, but you accidentally type
Speaker 2: exmable dot com. Oh right, A bit squatter might have
Speaker 2: registered that misspell domain and boom, You're redirected to a
Speaker 2: phishing site without even realizing it.
Speaker 1: Wow, that's sneaky. It's like they're setting traps for our typos.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and what about.
Speaker 1: Those shortened links, like the ones you often see on
Speaker 1: social media?
Speaker 2: Those tiny URLs can be tricky. They're often used legitimately
Speaker 2: to save space or make links easier to share, but
Speaker 2: they can also be used to mask the true destination
Speaker 2: of a link. Oh wow, So before you click on
Speaker 2: a tiny url, always hover over it to see the
Speaker 2: full web address. If it looks suspicious or you don't
Speaker 2: recognize the domain, don't click it.
Speaker 1: Okay. So let's say I've clicked on a link and
Speaker 1: I'm on a website. Are there any telltale signs that
Speaker 1: I might be on a phishing site?
Speaker 2: There are, put on your detective hat and start scrutinizing
Speaker 2: the website's design, all right, look for inconsistencies, anything that
Speaker 2: seems off.
Speaker 1: Okay.
Speaker 2: It could be low quality images, broken links, grammatical errors,
Speaker 2: even just a strange layout. These can all be signs
Speaker 2: that the website was hastily put together or that it's
Speaker 2: not the real deal. If you're comfortable with it, you
Speaker 2: could even examine the HTML code for suspicious elements like
Speaker 2: hidden eye frames or redirecting links.
Speaker 1: I'm not that tech savvy, but I can definitely look
Speaker 1: out for those visual cues. It's amazing how much we
Speaker 1: can learn just by paying attention to the details. But
Speaker 1: even with all this vigilance, is there anything else we
Speaker 1: can do to proactively protect ourselves? The book mentioned some
Speaker 1: technical tool Yes there are.
Speaker 2: One of the most basic yet effective things you can
Speaker 2: do is use strong, unique passwords for all your online accounts. Okay,
Speaker 2: and I can't stress this enough. Enable two factor authentication
Speaker 2: whenever possible. It adds an extra layer of security by
Speaker 2: requiring you to enter a code from your phone or
Speaker 2: email in addition to your password. It might seem like
Speaker 2: a hassle, but it makes it much harder for attackers
Speaker 2: to gain access to your accounts, even if they have
Speaker 2: your password.
Speaker 1: That's a good reminder. I know I've been putting off
Speaker 1: enabling two factor authentication on some of my accounts. Oh yeah,
Speaker 1: but you've convinced me it's worth the effort.
Speaker 2: It really is. And keep your software and anti virus
Speaker 2: programs up to date. Those updates often include security patches
Speaker 2: that can help protect you from known vulnerabilities. And if
Speaker 2: you want an extra layer of defense, consider using anti
Speaker 2: phishing browser extensions and toolbars. They can help identify and
Speaker 2: block suspicious websites even if you accidentally click on a malicious.
Speaker 1: Link, So it's like having a bodyguard for your browser. Like,
Speaker 1: it seems like there's a lot we can do to
Speaker 1: protect ourselves, but it's also important to know that phishing
Speaker 1: is a crime, right absolutely. What are the legal repercussions
Speaker 1: for these attackers?
Speaker 2: Phishing is illegal and there are laws in place to
Speaker 2: punish those who engage in it. For example, in the US,
Speaker 2: that can Spam Act helps regulate commercial emails and combat spam,
Speaker 2: which is often used as a vehicle for phishing attacks,
Speaker 2: and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act or DMCA protects logos
Speaker 2: and intellectual property from being misused, which is relevant because
Speaker 2: fishers often try to mimic legitimate brands, so.
Speaker 1: They can't just hide behind anonymity and get away with it.
Speaker 2: Not always, it can be difficult to track down these criminals. Yeah,
Speaker 2: but it does happen. The book mentioned some high profile
Speaker 2: cases where companies like Microsoft and AOL filed lawsuits worth
Speaker 2: millions against fishers. Wow. It's also important to remember that
Speaker 2: every time you report a phishing attempt, you're contributing to
Speaker 2: the fight against these scams.
Speaker 1: So reporting these scams isn't just about protecting myself, it's
Speaker 1: about helping to take on these criminals and protect others exactly.
Speaker 2: Every report provides valuable data. They could be used to
Speaker 2: identify fishing patterns, track down attackers, and even prevent future attacks. Wow,
Speaker 2: you're essentially helping to build a stronger defense for everyone.
Speaker 1: This deep dive has really been eye opening. It's amazing
Speaker 1: how much I didn't know about fishing, and I'm feeling
Speaker 1: a lot more empowered to protect myself. But I'm also
Speaker 1: realizing that it's not just about individual action. It sounds
Speaker 1: like there's a whole technological arms race going on behind
Speaker 1: the scenes to try and stay ahead of these attackers.
Speaker 2: You're absolutely right alongside individual vigilance. Yeah, there's a constant
Speaker 2: effort to develop and deploy anti phishing technologies.
Speaker 1: What are some of the more cutting edge approaches being
Speaker 1: used to combat fishing on a larger scale.
Speaker 2: Well, you have your classic approaches like blacklists and whitelists.
Speaker 2: Blacklists are like a digital most wanted list. They keep
Speaker 2: track of known fishing sites so they could be blocked. Okay,
Speaker 2: and whitelists are the opposite, right, They only allow access
Speaker 2: to websites that have been deemed trustworthy.
Speaker 1: So a guilty until proven innocent approach with the blacklist
Speaker 1: and an innocent until proven guilty approach with the white list.
Speaker 2: Yeah, exactly makes sense.
Speaker 1: But also the tech wizard's cooking up to fight these scammers.
Speaker 2: Things are getting really interesting with visual similarity detection. Okay,
Speaker 2: it uses algorithms to compare websites and spot fakes based
Speaker 2: on their design and layout.
Speaker 1: Interesting.
Speaker 2: Think of it like a facial recognition system, but for websites.
Speaker 2: It can pick up on subtle differences that a human
Speaker 2: eye might miss, flagging potential fishing sites even if they've
Speaker 2: been cleverly disguised.
Speaker 1: That's pretty impressive. It seems like we're bringing in the
Speaker 1: big guns with these technological solutions. But the book also
Speaker 1: talked about machine learning, right, how is that being used
Speaker 1: to fight phishing?
Speaker 2: Machine learning is playing a huge role. It's all about
Speaker 2: training computers to identify phishing patterns and flag suspicious activity. Okay,
Speaker 2: imagine you're teaching a computer to spot a fake painting.
Speaker 2: You show it thousands of real and fake paintings, pointing
Speaker 2: out the subtle differences in breaststrokes, colors, and composition. Okay,
Speaker 2: over time, the computer learns to recognize those telltale signs
Speaker 2: of a forgery. That's essentially what we're doing with machine
Speaker 2: learning and fishing. We're feeding these algorithms massive amounts of
Speaker 2: data about phishing websites and emails, teaching them to recognize
Speaker 2: the patterns in red flags that humans might miss.
Speaker 1: So it's like giving the computer a crash course in
Speaker 1: phishing detection, turning it into a digital detective. What about
Speaker 1: deep learning? Is that just a fancier term for machine learning.
Speaker 2: It's related, but takes it a step further.
Speaker 1: Okay.
Speaker 2: Deep learning is inspired by the human brain and its
Speaker 2: neural networks.
Speaker 1: Right.
Speaker 2: It allows computers to analyze data on a much deeper level,
Speaker 2: uncovering even more subtle and complex patterns.
Speaker 1: So it's not just about recognizing superficial similarities, it's about
Speaker 1: understanding the underlying intent in behavior.
Speaker 2: Exactly. Deep learning is allowing us to create dudibly sophisticated
Speaker 2: fishing detection systems that can adapt and learn as new
Speaker 2: threats emerge.
Speaker 1: So it's always evolving getting smarter.
Speaker 2: Yeah, exactly, like having a security guard that's constantly learning
Speaker 2: new self defense techniques to stay ahead of the criminals.
Speaker 1: This all sounds very promising, but let's be realistic. Can
Speaker 1: technology really solve the fishing problem entirely?
Speaker 2: That's the million dollar question. Technology is an incredibly powerful
Speaker 2: tool in this fight, but it's not a silver bullet. Remember,
Speaker 2: phishing is ultimately about exploiting human psychology. Yeah, as long
Speaker 2: as there are people who fall prey to these scams,
Speaker 2: there will be fishers trying to exploit them.
Speaker 1: That's true.
Speaker 2: That's why education and awareness are so important. Even with
Speaker 2: the most advanced technology in place, human vigilance is still
Speaker 2: our first line of defense.
Speaker 1: So it's a two pronged approach. Technology to bolster our
Speaker 1: defenses and education to empower individuals. What can we do
Speaker 1: as everyday users to contribute to this collective effort.
Speaker 2: One of the most important things you can do is
Speaker 2: report phishing attempts. It might seem like a small act,
Speaker 2: but it has a ripple effect. If you receive a
Speaker 2: suspicious email or come across a website that you think
Speaker 2: might be a phishing scam, don't just delete it or
Speaker 2: ignore it, report it to the appropriate authorities.
Speaker 1: So who should we be reporting these scams to.
Speaker 2: There are several organizations dedicated to fighting phishing, like the
Speaker 2: Anti Phishing Working Group APWG and the US Computer Emergency
Speaker 2: Readiness Team us SERT. Okay, you can also report it
Speaker 2: to the company or organization being impersonated. For example, if
Speaker 2: you get a phishing email pretending to be from Amazon,
Speaker 2: forward it to Amazon's Fishing Report address. Every report helps
Speaker 2: build a better understanding of phishing tactics, track down these criminals,
Speaker 2: and ultimately prevent future attacks.
Speaker 1: It's like we're all deputized cyber detectives working together to
Speaker 1: take down these scammers exactly.
Speaker 2: It's about empowering individuals to be part of the solution. Remember,
Speaker 2: knowledge is power. The more you understand about phishing, the
Speaker 2: better equip you'll be to avoid becoming a victim, and
Speaker 2: by sharing that knowledge with others, you're helping create a
Speaker 2: safer online environment for everyone.
Speaker 1: This deep dive has been a real wake up call,
Speaker 1: but also incredibly empowering. I feel like I've learned so
Speaker 1: much about the hidden world of phishing and the many
Speaker 1: ways we can protect ourselves.
Speaker 2: I'm glad to hear that it's all about staying vigilant,
Speaker 2: being curious, and never taking your online security for granted. Yeah,
Speaker 2: the Internet can be a wonderful place, but it's important
Speaker 2: to navigate it with awareness and caution.
Speaker 1: Well said, and on that note, I think we've reached
Speaker 1: the end of our deep dive to our listeners, thank
Speaker 1: you for joining us on this journey. We hope you've
Speaker 1: learned something new and feel more confident in your ability
Speaker 1: to spot and avoid phishing scams. Remember, stay informed, stay vigilant,
Speaker 1: and stay safe online