Vishing is one of the most common social engineering attacks that hackers use to steal sensitive information from unsuspecting individuals. Vishing is a combination of two words, voice and phishing, and is the practice of using voice technology to trick individuals into divulging confidential details. This cyber attack has become more prevalent with the increased reliance on telecommunication, which provides an opportunity for cybercriminals to successfully carry out vishing attacks. Let’s take a look at 3 things you need to know about vishing and how you can protect yourself from falling victim to such scams. 

1. Vishing is a Sleeper Scam 

One major reason why vishing is such an effective hacking technique is that it often goes undetected until the real damage has been done. Vishing is a sleeper scam because it usually takes a while for victims to realize they have been scammed. Hackers often carry out vishing attacks with a degree of sophistication. They use caller ID spoofing technology, voice-mimicking software to make the caller sound like a legitimate person or organization, and other techniques that make it difficult to detect the authenticity of the call. Therefore, it is important to stay alert and cautious when receiving unexpected phone calls, especially from unknown numbers. 

2. Personal and Financial Data are Targeted 

Vishing works by convincing victims to provide their personal and financial data voluntarily. Typically, vishing attacks target information such as credit card numbers, social security numbers, and bank account details. Once the attacker has acquired such information, they can use it to steal funds from bank accounts, open new credit lines, or carry out identity theft. Therefore, it is crucial to avoid providing personal data to unknown parties, or unsolicited phone calls, emails, or text messages. 

3. It Can Happen to Anyone 

Most people believe that they are smart enough to spot a scam or hack attempt. Unfortunately, vishing attacks are not exclusively targeted at technologically naive individuals or those who are easy to trick. Cybercriminals go to great lengths to make their scams appear as legitimate as possible. Therefore, vishing can happen to anyone. Even the most vigilant people can fall victim to a vishing scam, particularly if the attacker employs advanced social engineering tactics. 

Minimize the Impact of Phishing Attacks  

A solid security response plan that minimizes the potential impact of a vishing attack on your business must include:  

• An easy, non-punitive, and efficient way for users to immediately report incidents that include the information disclosed, to determine potential damage of the attack.    
• Documented procedures to quickly alert financial institutions, vendors, and federal agencies, along with any partners or branches of the business that may be affected.   
• A way to communicate the security threat so your enterprise is aware and can recognize other potential risks.  

The Cofense Way to Prevent Vishing Attacks   

Vishing can often go undetected, and security awareness is critical because untrained employees may not recognize and report suspicious phone calls. Vishing attacks focus on high-value business targets, such as call centers, IT administrators, accounts payable, HR, and more.  

Security teams should implement the following vishing prevention measures to protect their organization:   

• Update security awareness programs with Cofense’ s vishing LMS modules to train employees to recognize and report vishing attempts.  
• Add Cofense Reporter to your email task bar for easy and efficient reporting.  
• Train employees at all levels to verify caller identity and the authenticity of email links.   
• Advise all employees to refrain from texting sensitive information in social and messaging apps other than official company platforms.   
• Use your enterprise technology stack to block unknown numbers and add mobile apps to route calls to your company’s VoIP.   
• Make sure anti-spam and anti-phishing solutions are current.  
• Augment native email security with Cofense threat detection and leverage Auto Quarantine to remediate suspicious emails.   

Vishing is a dangerous security threat that can result in serious financial losses to your organization. It is essential to have an effective program in place to train employees on how to recognize and report attempts by attackers. Cofense offers the necessary tools and services for this type of training. Our combination of innovative solutions, technical expertise, and real-world curriculum allows us to provide your organization with the best possible strategies for protecting against vishing attacks. Don’t wait to take action – contact us today and speak with one of our certified professionals who can help you create a safe environment for your business operations!