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PULPOU BLOG
How to Detect Fake Websites Posing as Genuine Ones
Muitas pessoas confiam informações pessoais e financeiras sem saber que estão sendo enganadas. O phishing é uma prática que aumentou exponencialmente durante a pandemia, mas que, segundo os especialistas, pode ser detectada a tempo.
Phishing is one of the favorite methods of cybercriminals to scam and obtain confidential information fraudulently. In this way, many hackers get valuable data from any internet user, from personal information to bank passwords. The channels used by criminals are vast: emails, WhatsApp, SMS, social networks, or fake websites.
This method has been on the rise during the Covid-19 pandemic. According to SILKIN, a cybersecurity company, phishing had already increased by 600% by early April. Criminals take advantage of the coronavirus theme as the perfect bait to deceive users. Thus, applications or programs appear, proposing, for example, to view real-time interactive maps on how the pandemic is evolving, home remedies for the virus, and false information. There have even been pages posing as organizations accepting donations.
According to a study by Check Point, of the 2,600 daily attacks related to Covid-19 at the beginning of April, 84% were phishing or website impersonation cases. In fact, the company noted that by early April, the number of pages pretending to be Netflix had already doubled.
How to Detect Fake Websites?
In a conversation with Pulpou, Julio César Valderrama, Founder & CEO of Proyecto Aurora, an IT security NGO, indicated that when the quarantine first started, many phishing scams related to banks, financial institutions, and credit cards appeared. "There were very personalized phishing scams. So, people who suddenly became familiar with technology fell for them," he added.
Valderrama explains that there are several mechanisms to validate these pages, which allow determining if it is an attack or if it is genuinely a legitimate platform. One option, the specialist elaborates, is "to enter the site www.virustotal.com, where you can enter the address you received and verify if it is a possible phishing case or not."
"It's a very easy technique and a way to validate. Always try to be suspicious of the pages," complements the CEO. Meanwhile, from Mosquera – Perticaro & Abogados, they affirm that many illegal platforms design checkout pages or payment processes almost identical to those of banks, for example.
They also reveal that one way to protect yourself from this type of attack is to check that the sites where you make purchases or transactions are secure. To do this, they add, "you have to verify that they have the HTTPS security code" since "it is common that during an online transaction, pop-ups and surprising tabs begin to multiply, asking the buyer for more information than they usually share."
On the other hand, Valderrama recommends being careful when using search engines. Often, warns the specialist, this is where the trap lies: "Do not click on the first pages that appear, on the ads. And also be careful with the banners."
Meanwhile, the European Police Office (EUROPOL) provides some warnings that can help uncover a fake page. In this regard, they state: "Check if the 'Contact Us' or 'About Us' pages contain all the details, such as company name, address, phone number, or an official email address."
They also advise being suspicious of websites written in the language of your home country but using a domain from another country. Additionally, they consider it important to check how long the domain has existed. "If it has been active for less than a year, it could be a fraudulent site."
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