What are the Different Types of Spoofing?
Spoofing takes many forms along the lines of running different types of malware campaigns and cyber-attack attacks that target different communication and online identity systems. It is the ultimate digital bait-and-switch hackers and scammers use to lure users into their cleverly designed traps. Deceptive masterminds use appealing offers, features, or promises and dress up as someone or something you trust. They leverage all types of digital gateways including email, websites, phone numbers, and even GPS signals to prey on you. So, it is highly important to learn about these tricks and tactics to prevent scams and privacy breaches. To help you understand better here are some most common types of spoofing attacks Tech-savvy wolves use to deceive you:
Email Spoofing
It is one of the most common tricks in the book of devious prowlers to attack individual users. Attackers compose a genuine email with exclusive offers, important news and frightening notifications in the email. Along with this, they attach a spoofed link in the text to direct the user to a malicious site. When users receive these emails they act impulsively. As soon as they click the link it leads them to a spoofed site that downloads malware and spyware on the PC. Black hats steal all the user data with the help of malware and exploit it to do all types of scams and promote malicious activities.
Caller ID Spoofing
In this type of deceiving activity attackers manipulate a phone number and impersonate a trusted authority or mimic one of your family members to approach. They can behave as a policeman calling from your local police station and asking you some private questions. By and by they trick you into exposing all the sensitive information and complying with all the demands. Unintentionally, you lose sensitive data which leads to bigger troubles down the line.
Website Spoofing
In website spoofing hackers build a fake site that looks genuine and identical to the real website. When you see it you click the link and a login window appears on your screen. Without thinking much you fill out the login credentials but you do not have access to the main dashboard of the website. Instead, an error message appears on your screen or the window closes down when clicking the submit or login button. It did not open because it was a spoofed site that hackers built to snatch your login credentials. Website spoofing is a common method hackers use to steal login credentials of internet banking, important accounts and other sensitive online platforms.
Social Media Spoofing
This follows a similar pattern as in the previous one in which hackers create fake login windows for social media sites and send their links to innocent people. When they click the link a fake window appears on their screen and they fill the login credentials into it without thinking much. But as soon as they are done with the process, hackers on the backend snatch all the details and hack the social media account of the victim. After this, they change the ID and Passwords to block the user from accessing his account. Then they do all types of malicious activities in the name of user activities.
Wi-Fi Spoofing
In WiFi spoofing, hackers set up false Wi-Fi hotspots using genuine network names such as Free-Starbucks-WiFi-Network close to the coffee house. When a user sees the name on his available network list he connects to it to browse the internet free of cost. But when the user connects to a bogus network hackers infect the device with malware to monitor online activities and steal sensitive data. Using Wi-Fi duping, hackers can track all online activities and launch man-in-the-middle attacks to intercept their communications. It leaves a user exposed to a wide range of security threats and privacy breaches.
SMS Spoofing
It is very similar to email spoofing in which an attacker uses a false ID to send an SMS. The text message consists of flashy deals, emergency news and important notices. It is attached with a malicious link that directs the user to a malicious site when clicked and downloads malware and compromises device security and data. This is a classic case of a phishing attack in which cybercriminals exploit the fear and curiosity of the people to launch successful cyber attacks.
Voice Spoofing
Black Hats uses AI tools to create voice deepfakes to impersonate a trusted person or your close relative. After that, they use the cloned voice to reach you with a well-equipped story. They tell you about an emergency situation and ask for urgent financial help to get out of the trouble. Seeing your loved ones in crisis you take immediate action and send them the financial amount to help them deal with the situation. But later you come to realize that it was a fake call and someone took your money. This is voice spoofing in which fraudsters use AI tools to create voice deepfakes to carry out AI voice cloning scams.
GPS Spoofing
In this type of cyber attack, the attacker sends fake GPS signals to the target device to deceive it into believing it is in the wrong location. Due to fake signals, the device becomes confused and shows the user false locations. In this process, the fake GPS signals mimic legitimate satellite signals and override the real signals to convey the incorrect locations. The fake signals are so powerful that they sideline the real ones and cause the device receiver to lock onto fake signals. GPS spoofing disrupts delivery systems and helps cybercriminals hack surveillance systems. Also, it provides wrong geotagging for services that require accurate user location such as gaming and social media posts.
IP Spoofing
In IP spoofing cyberpunks disguise the source IP address and impersonate it as a trusted source to deceive a user and bypass the security measures to do harmful activities. They insert fake source IP addresses and hide their real locations. When a device accesses the information on this server it seems to come from a trusted source. Using the fake IP address attackers send tons of requests to a target system or server to overwhelm it with traffic in order to crash it and make it unavailable. It can bypass the firewall system and provide unauthorized access to network resources. Once inside the network, they can systematically carry out different types of malicious activities.
DNS Spoofing
In DNS spoofing cybercriminals manipulate the Domain Name System to trick users by redirecting them to fake sites. In this type of online attack, you get a domain link for a particular website that looks genuine. Cyberpunks inject false DNS into the DNS resolver cache. But when you search a certain domain in the browser you land on a fake site. It happens because the resolver retrieves and serves the malicious IP address that leads you to a malicious site. The site you land on is fake and planted with malware that infiltrates your PC and steals your sensitive data. As a result, you experience different types of malicious attacks down the line.
URL Spoofing
Attackers create fake URLs using similar domains with slight misspellings of the legitimate sites and alternative domain extensions such as .info, .biz, or .co that work as camouflage for the users. They send the links of these URLs to their targets in fake emails and text messages. Users take them for real and click the links to reach the websites. But they lead them to bogus sites planted with malicious programs and fake login windows. People fill out their login credentials and reveal all the sensitive data on the site to complete their online tasks. But in reality, they end up compromising their data and privacy at the hands of cybercriminals.
How to Prevent Spoofing?
There is no denying the fact that dangers lurk around everywhere in the internet world. One wrong click and curiosity killed the cat. You end up losing all your important data, User IDs and sensitive accounts at the turn of the moment. However, you can prevent spoofing if you stay alert and follow safety measures and use security tools during your online activities. Here are some effective and easy tips that can protect you from different types of spoofing:
Stay Alert About URLs
Always double-check URLs before clicking on them. Instead of clicking the link directly, you can type the web address in the search window manually to ensure you access the right website. If you have to click the link in case it is long and complicated then check for the HTTPS at the beginning of the URL. ‘S’ stands for secure internet protocols in the URLs. When you click the Link with the HTTPS you will also notice a lock pad at the beginning of the URL that confirms that everything remains end-to-end encrypted during your online activities on the site. Observing these small details you can easily prevent URL spoofing and avoid malware infections on your digital device.
Use Multi-Layer Authentication
Unique and strong passwords are the first line of defence against security breaches and account protection. But this is not enough. By hook or by crook hackers can steal your primary login details when you are not alert during your internet activities. They can easily access your account using the stolen credentials. But if you use a two-factor authentication service you can block unauthorized access to your accounts and digital gateways. You get mail, OTP, and SMS to confirm the login activities on your accounts and critical access points. Hence use a multilayer authentication service to protect against spoofing and hacking.
Examine Emails and Messages
It is highly recommended that you always double-check emails and messages that demand immediate action, ask for sensitive information or have suspicious links attached to the text. Avoid clicking the attached links before you check that the sender is a legitimate entity. Hover your cursor over the link before you click the link to see where it is directing you. Look for the errors, inconsistencies and misspellings in the domain & extensions. If there are slight differences or spelling or grammar mistakes in the text then avoid taking any action using the link.
Don't Trust Caller IDs
Scammers use bogus caller IDs in social engineering attacks to convince their target and get them to provide sensitive data and details. You must proceed with caution when you receive such calls. Always call back using the official customer support number to confirm the details and requests from the customer representative. You will get genuine reports and suggestions from the customer representative. If you find any contradictions and inconsistencies then avoid conforming to the demands of the suspicious caller and report the number as spam.
Avoid Public WiFi
Public WiFi are the hotspots used to distribute malware, carry out man-in-the-middle attacks and user data theft. They create fake networks using legitimate names of the stores in public places to make people connect to these free-to-use WiFi services. Innocent people often take these free-to-use internet services for real and connect to them without much thinking. As soon as they are connected hackers distribute malware and intercept all the communications and device traffic. Hence, it is highly important that you avoid Public WiFi networks without confirming the original provider. Always meet the people working the arena to ask for available WiFi networks to connect online securely and avoid Public WiFi spoofing.
Secure Your Device Networks
You should secure the networks of your device using a VPN. It will encrypt your online activities, hide your IP address and connect to the internet using an encrypted network. It hides your location and prevents malicious entities from finding your device and internet connections. Due to this, you remain safe and hidden from online spies and malicious entities who are always looking for vulnerable connections to infiltrate malware and launch cyber attacks.
Also, you can use a robust firewall on your device to secure the network traffic and block unseen threats. It creates a secure wall between your device and outside servers and scans all the data packets for unsafe content. With the help of a firewall, you can effectively block spoofing links and malware from entering your device network.
Use Trusted and Official Sources
Always use official sources and trusted platforms to do shopping, downloads, software updates and money transfers. Do not use third-party platforms and random links to buy things and download your apps and new updates. It will keep you safe from fake sites and cyber attacks. Using trusted and official online sites and platforms gets you the right information and prevents cyber attacks on your device.
Keep Software Updated
It is highly recommended to keep your operating systems, applications, and antivirus software up to date to prevent vulnerabilities and internal flaws. Download new updates as soon as possible when they are made available. Make sure to use only official sites and app stores to download your software updates to avoid malware infections and spoofing attacks. Updated system programs prevent zero-day attacks and fix security and functionality disorders.
Monitor Your Accounts
You should monitor your critical accounts on a regular basis to look for unauthorized transactions or suspicious activities. Enable notifications and set security alerts for your social media accounts, internet banking and critical devices accesses. Use unique, long and strong passwords to secure the access points. Never share any login or password with anyone on call or message. If you receive any security alerts, OTPs or access requests then immediately report the issue to the concerned agency. Log out your IDs from all the other devices and reset new passwords.
Be Wary of Too-Good-to-Be-True Deals
Don’t fall for too good to be true deals on holidays, and off seasons. Remember no one offers paradise for pennies. Genuine products and deals always cost money. If you receive any such offer check the reviews and verify the site’s authenticity before you proceed to grab the deal. Cybercriminals often lure people with flashy discounts, lotteries, and cheap deals. If you rush to pay the amount and secure the deal then you will end up losing your hard-earned money and compromising sensitive details. Hence think and confirm before you do anything.
