Vishing and Smishing: Phone and SMS-Based Social Engineering
Vishing (voice phishing) and smishing (SMS phishing) are social engineering tactics where attackers use phone calls or text messages to manipulate victims into revealing sensitive information or performing malicious actions. These attacks exploit trust and urgency to deceive individuals.
How Vishing Works
In vishing attacks, fraudsters impersonate trusted entities like banks, government agencies, or familiar institutions. They use caller ID spoofing to make their numbers appear legitimate, creating a sense of urgency about account issues, security breaches, or other fabricated problems to trick victims into disclosing sensitive information.
Case Study: Barclays Bank Vishing Attack In 2014, Barclays Bank customers were targeted in a vishing attack where fraudsters impersonated bank officials. They convinced victims to disclose personal banking details, leading to significant financial losses. The attackers used caller ID spoofing to appear legitimate, creating a sense of urgency about "suspicious activity" on their accounts.
How Smishing Works
Smishing involves sending text messages that appear to come from reputable sources, prompting recipients to click on malicious links or provide personal information. These messages often contain fake alerts about package deliveries, bank account issues, or prize winnings.
Case Study: USPS Smishing Scam In 2020, a widespread smishing campaign impersonated the United States Postal Service (USPS), sending texts claiming undelivered packages. Recipients were directed to a fake website to enter personal information. The realistic messages and familiar branding led many to fall for the scam.
Advanced Social Engineering and SIM Swapping by ALPHV/BlackCat
In recent years, groups like ALPHV/BlackCat have employed sophisticated social engineering tactics, including vishing, smishing, and SIM swapping. SIM swapping involves tricking mobile carrier employees into transferring a victim's phone number to a new SIM card controlled by the attacker. This allows the attacker to bypass two-factor authentication (2FA) and gain access to the victim's accounts.
Case Study: ALPHV/BlackCat and Octo Tempest In mid-2023, the Octo Tempest group, affiliated with ALPHV/BlackCat, executed sophisticated social engineering attacks involving vishing, smishing, and SIM swapping. They targeted technical administrators by impersonating new employees to gain access to IT systems. They used social engineering to manipulate help desk personnel into resetting passwords and changing multi-factor authentication (MFA) settings. The group also launched smishing campaigns that directed victims to fake login portals to capture credentials and initiate SIM swaps, allowing them to take over accounts and conduct further attacks (Microsoft Cloud) (Enterprise Technology News and Analysis) (Resilience) .
Defense Strategies
Education and Awareness: Regularly educate employees and individuals about the risks and signs of vishing and smishing attacks. Awareness training should emphasize the importance of verifying unsolicited communications independently.
Verification Protocols: Implement strict verification protocols for any requests for sensitive information received via phone or SMS. Encourage verifying the identity of the caller or sender through official contact channels before taking any action.
Caller ID and SMS Filtering: Use advanced caller ID and SMS filtering technologies to detect and block suspicious numbers and messages. These tools can help identify and prevent potential vishing and smishing attempts before they reach the target.
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Employ MFA for accessing sensitive systems and information. Even if an attacker obtains login credentials, MFA adds an extra layer of protection, reducing the risk of unauthorized access.
Incident Response Plans: Develop and maintain an incident response plan specifically addressing vishing and smishing attacks. Ensure employees know the steps to take if they suspect they have received a phishing call or text, including reporting the incident to the appropriate security team.
Conclusion
Vishing and smishing are growing threats in the realm of social engineering. By understanding these tactics and implementing robust defense strategies, organizations and individuals can better protect themselves from falling victim to these deceptive schemes. At SentryOps Technologies, we provide comprehensive solutions and training to help safeguard against vishing and smishing attacks.
For more information on how SentryOps can help protect your organization from phone and SMS-based social engineering attacks, contact us today.