Picture this, A Financial Controller receives an email from the CEO asking him to make a €25,700 transfer to a new supplier. Hopefully the financial controller has the sense to check in person with the CEO to validate the email, but before the financial controller has a chance to contact his CEO he receives the following text message from the CEO:

This relatively simple but very prominent threat is a mixture of a whaling attack via email and an SMS spoofing attack called Smishing. Through the SMS spoofing technique, hackers can impersonate someone else.

Essentially with only a small amount of information a hacker will be able to compromise a user in  a variety of ways.  A major target for these attacks are the people who control the purse strings.

Malware Downloads for Android

SMS Spoofing for android will often include a link to a watering hole where the hacker will be be able to determine technical details about your phone including the operating system, model and more. This information can be used to execute a targeted attack against the user. If the user clicks a malicious link within a bad SMS then it has the potential to trigger a virus or trojan download. If a text message seems suspicious and there is any doubts about the source of a text message, don’t click the links!

SMS Security Is A Serious Issue

Research into SMS spoofing has shown that there is a sharp increase in the number of attacks. The most infamous exploit was actually with a vulnerability within the Apple iOS. Apple had to release an update to fix a security vulnerability that would allow an attacker to  reboot the iphone by sending a specially formed text message. It is widely regarded that almost all Android devices are susceptible to hijacking through various vulnerabilities.

Staying secure and keeping your smartphone safe from attack and intrusion is an ongoing effort. There are many steps you can take to help insure your that smartphone and private data remain secure. Most importantly, install an antivirus and keep your apps up-to-date. If you don’t trust the messages then don’t click the links.

For more information on how Smarttech can help you with your Cybersecurity visit www.smarttech.ie