Protection Against Vishing and Smishing Attacks »
Cybercriminals in the movies and TV are often shown furiously typing away at a screen to break into systems. The real world is quite different. Cybercriminals target their attacks to take advantage of a key weakness in any security system – employees.
Vishing and Smishing represent a new type of attack being used by cybercriminals, costing victims billions of dollars annually. For these criminals, both vishing and smishing attacks are highly effective at gathering personal information to carry out identity fraud. Most recently, the vishing attack has been more prevalent.
Vishing: A VoIP Attack
Vishing attacks have been around since the 2000s but have increased over the last few years. Some of this is due to the upward trend remote work. The demand for instant collaboration coupled with the accessibility of mobile phones domestically and globally, has created a prime target for cybercriminals to carry out malicious activity.
“Vishers”, use fraudulent phone numbers, voice-altering software, text messages, and an individual’s natural tendency to be helpful to trick users into divulging sensitive information.
Smishing: An SMS Attack
Smishing attacks use short message service or SMS, more commonly known as text messages as the preferred channel. Because individuals are more likely to trust a message delivered directly to their cell phone rather than a message delivered via email, making this form of attack more common.
It is far easier for threat actors to determine a person’s phone number versus their email since there are a finite number of options with phone numbers Stringing together ten random digits to reach a victim is far easier for a cybercriminal.
According to Cybersecurity Ventures, the cost of all cybercrime is predicted to hit $8 trillion in 2023 and will grow to $10.5 trillion by 2025.
Victims lost over $3.5 billion to cybercriminals in the first half of 2022, a 53% jump from the year before
RSN Defender Protects Against Vishing and Smishing
RedShift’s RSN Defender application includes software on the user’s mobile device to intercept incoming calls and text messages and validate if the call or text is fraudulent.
RSN Defender leverages RedShift Networks’ industry-leading UCTM technology and depth of experience in Security and Fraud protection to deliver an easy-to-use, scalable, and reliable solution to manage the millions of potential calls and messages that may travel across the network.
Because the RSN Defender blocks the text message before delivery, and notifies the mobile device of potential vishing, the user can simply operate their phone as they normally would, saving time and the danger of clicking on a malicious text message.
RSN Defender Vishing Protection
RSN Defender Smishing Protection
Is your Business Protected from Vishing and Smishing Attacks?
With remote work becoming common and more and more business taking place via mobile devices, smishing and vishing are real risks to the business. RSN Defender uncovers those fraudulent messages and calls before they reach the user, saving time and money.
