If you don't know what phishing and hacking are, today's blog will answer your main questions on the subject and give you tips on how to avoid having your data breached by criminals. Enjoy it 🙂

Both phishing and hacking can cause a lot of damage to companies, financially, in terms of reputation or productivity, for example. But the ways in which they occur are different. In other words, while phishing occurs when a person impersonates another person or even a company in an attempt to obtain sensitive information such as personal data, passwords, etc., hacking is linked to actions that identify and exploit vulnerabilities in a computer system or network.

Are you confused? We’ll talk a bit more about the subject in the next few topics and, above all, how to protect yourself from these cyber threats that are so common today. Let’s go!

What’s phishing?

As mentioned earlier, phishing is a cyberattack in which criminals try to trick people into revealing information such as passwords, credit card numbers, bank account information and other confidential data. Most of the time, this deception is done by impersonating trustworthy entities, such as banks or a work colleague. As a result, phishing becomes a serious threat to digital security, leading to identity theft, financial fraud and the compromise of shared confidential information.

It’s important to note that scammers generally use emails, text messages, phone calls or social media posts to send malicious links or directly ask for confidential information. Therefore, the aim is to make the victim believe that they are dealing with a legitimate source and thus divulge their sensitive information. That’s why it’s so important to always check who and where you’re sharing information with!

What’s hacking?

Hacking is a practice in which individuals with advanced computer skills exploit computer systems or networks. That said, it’s important to keep in mind that there are different types of hackers, divided into white-hat, black-hat and gray-hat. White-hats are those who act ethically, i.e. to improve cyber security. Black-hats, or crackers, work to exploit systems illegally, for personal gain.

Gray-hats, on the other hand, are hackers who are on the fence. That is, they may or may not be criminals, but they act with the intention of reporting the security flaws they find rather than exposing them publicly in order to hit their target, either financially or with malicious intent. Hacking is therefore a complex practice that encompasses a variety of activities and motivations. While some hackers seek to improve cyber security and protect systems, others have malicious intentions, exploiting vulnerabilities for their own benefit or to promote specific agendas.

What is the difference between these two practices?

Phishing and hacking are two distinct practices in the field of cyber security. Phishing is a social engineering technique used to trick people into obtaining confidential information. This is done through fraudulent emails, text messages or phone calls posing as trustworthy entities, such as banks or companies. Hacking, on the other hand, involves exploiting computer systems or networks to gain unauthorized access, manipulate data or cause damage to systems. Hackers can have different objectives, such as stealing data, disrupting online services, cyber espionage or digital vandalism.

Meaning, the fundamental difference between phishing and hacking lies in the methods and objectives. Phishing aims to trick people into obtaining confidential information, while hacking involves the technical exploitation of systems for various purposes. But why are we talking about this, since they are so different? The point is that both practices pose serious threats to cyber security and require preventative and security measures to protect information and systems against these types of attacks. Here are some of them.

What measures can you take to protect yourself from phishing and hacking?

1. Education and awareness: stay informed about the latest phishing and hacking techniques and educate yourself on how to recognize signs of malicious activity. Train employees in corporate environments so that they are also aware of these threats.
2. Be wary of unsolicited communications: if you receive unsolicited emails, text messages or phone calls asking for personal or financial information, check the authenticity of the source before providing any data.
3. Check the URL and senders: when clicking on links in emails or messages, check that the URL corresponds to the legitimate site and that the sender is trustworthy. Avoid clicking on suspicious links.
4. Use two-factor authentication: Activate two-factor authentication whenever possible on your online accounts. This adds an extra layer of security by requiring an additional code on top of the password to access the account.
5. Keep software up to date: keep your operating system, web browsers, applications and antivirus programs up to date to fix known vulnerabilities and protect against malware.
6. Use strong and unique passwords: create complex and unique passwords for each account and change them regularly. Consider using password managers to store and manage your passwords securely.
7. Avoid unsecured public Wi-Fi networks: avoid carrying out financial transactions or sharing confidential information on unsecured public Wi-Fi networks. Use a VPN (virtual private network) connection to increase security when using public networks.
8. Make regular backups: keep up-to-date copies of your important data in safe places, such as on an external device or in the cloud.
9. Monitor yourself: keep an eye out for suspicious activity on your bank, email and other online accounts. Immediately report any unauthorized activity to the relevant authorities.
10. Use filtros de spam e antivírus: configure filtros de spam em seu cliente de e-mail para bloquear mensagens suspeitas de phishing. Além disso, mantenha um software antivírus atualizado e faça varreduras regulares em seu sistema para identificar e remover possíveis ameaças de malware.

Finally, if you own a company and feel the need to protect your employees’ and customers’ data more securely, you can count on Tracenet! Hiring a company that specializes in information security will help you keep all your data safe and have an effective security protocol in case of unforeseen events.