Phishing is one of the most common as well as damaging forms of cyber attacks that any user can end up going through because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up making them lose their login credentials as well as various other personal data. While many consumers have become wary enough of phishing attacks to be able to avoid falling for them, this has led to the rise of a much more advanced form of phishing attack called conversation hijacking.
The way phishing attacks usually get conducted is that you might receive an email from a brand or organization that you trust which contains a link. Clicking on this link can lead to your information being stolen, but most users know not to click on links unless the email address is legitimate which is usually easy enough to ascertain. With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that conversation hijacking is much more effective at enticing engagement.
Most people have ongoing email chains in which they are regularly corresponding with people, and conversation hijacking works by injecting a new email into this thread. Since this email will be a part of a longer chain of correspondence, users would be less likely to be cautious while clicking any links that they have with all things having been considered and taken into account.
Conversation hijacking is not the most common form of phishing attack, but in spite of the fact that this is the case such attack types have increased by around 147% in 2021 from 5,106 attacks in the first quarter to 12,606 in Q4, as reported by Atlasvpn. Threat actors are starting to realize how effective such attacks can be, since users usually expect to receive links in email chains that ask for invoices or log in details that you would fill it out in a form that you would assume is safe. Hence, chances are that conversation hijacking will continue to become a more common form of phishing in 2022, and it may end up turning into the dominant phishing attack that people are confronted with.
Read next: This New Infostealer is Using Google Ads Mimicking OpenOffice Products
The way phishing attacks usually get conducted is that you might receive an email from a brand or organization that you trust which contains a link. Clicking on this link can lead to your information being stolen, but most users know not to click on links unless the email address is legitimate which is usually easy enough to ascertain. With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that conversation hijacking is much more effective at enticing engagement.
Most people have ongoing email chains in which they are regularly corresponding with people, and conversation hijacking works by injecting a new email into this thread. Since this email will be a part of a longer chain of correspondence, users would be less likely to be cautious while clicking any links that they have with all things having been considered and taken into account.
Conversation hijacking is not the most common form of phishing attack, but in spite of the fact that this is the case such attack types have increased by around 147% in 2021 from 5,106 attacks in the first quarter to 12,606 in Q4, as reported by Atlasvpn. Threat actors are starting to realize how effective such attacks can be, since users usually expect to receive links in email chains that ask for invoices or log in details that you would fill it out in a form that you would assume is safe. Hence, chances are that conversation hijacking will continue to become a more common form of phishing in 2022, and it may end up turning into the dominant phishing attack that people are confronted with.
Read next: This New Infostealer is Using Google Ads Mimicking OpenOffice Products
