The methods of cybersecurity attacks are continually advancing, which means they are becoming harder to detect. One that’s evolving at a particularly rapid pace is vishing attacks. This type of malware needs to be on your radar. 

Vishing, short for “voice phishing” is a type of attack where cybercriminals manipulate unassuming people over the phone so they’ll reveal sensitive information. Voice cloning and data breaches are adding fuel to vishing’s rapid advancement, only underlining the importance of awareness of it and bolstering cyber security protection. 

What Are Vishing Attacks?

You may be familiar with vishing’s cousin, phishing. Vishing involves a cybercriminal impersonating a trusted entity (bank, credit card company, IT person at your organization, etc). The attacker will manipulate someone into giving them sensitive information. This attack is a form of social engineering and is becoming more and more prevalent. Vishing attacks alone accounted for $1.2 billion being stolen from victims in 2023, and that number is only set to rise. 

How Vishing Attacks Work

Picture this: You are going about your day when you get a call from your bank, alerting you to suspicious activity on your account. You instantly panic, right? But, it isn’t actually your bank. It’s a scammer using leaked or stolen data along with the tactics below to sound legitimate. 

These common tactics include:

• Impersonation: In order to build trust with their victim, a cybercriminal may impersonate a real person working at the organization they claim to be from. They’ll use the company website or LinkedIn to find the name and title and then direct you to confirm their identity. 
• Asking for sensitive information: Attackers will learn your sensitive details by telling you they need to verify your identity. 
• Urgency and fear: The panic you are already feeling will be exacerbated by the “representative” you are talking to. They’ll pressure you to act immediately and warn you of severe consequences if you don’t take that action.

What Makes Vishing Attacks Extra Dangerous 

Vishing attacks are unique, and so are the risks they pose. They can bypass your traditional cybersecurity as they exploit human error, use easily spoofable numbers, employ AI tools and so much more. 

There isn’t a technology that can prevent human error. Nothing has been created to stop someone from sharing sensitive information, especially someone who believes they are speaking to a legitimate person. 

While no technology can stop the exploitation of human error, there is technology that makes it very simple to spoof a phone number. This means that phone call from your “bank” actually looks like it is coming from your bank, furthering the belief that it’s legitimate.  

Artificial intelligence has furthered the advancement of vishing attacks. AI voice cloning tools allow cybercriminals to replicate voices, making their impersonations nearly indistinguishable from the real person. This happens more when someone is trying to impersonate somebody you may know, like your IT person, CEO or HR representative.  

Although there are call screening tools available from your carrier or outside services, they might not catch every scam call. 

When cybersecurity methods are bypassed, the consequences are dire. They can lead to costly disruptions, financial loss, reputational damage, fines from regulatory agencies and more. We highly recommend addressing these threats promptly by training employees to spot them and enhancing your cybersecurity posture. 

How to Protect Your Organization From Vishing Attacks 

A proactive approach to combatting vishing attacks is essential. Consider using the following strategies to do so:

1. Educate Your Team

Training your team regularly on cybersecurity issues such as vishing will help them easily recognize scams. They will know to verify the authenticity of callers and avoid sharing sensitive information over the phone. Training for vishing ensures your employees will recognize and stop vishing attacks effectively. 

2. Always Verify Caller Identities

Never trust someone’s word for who they are. Always confirm a caller’s identity, especially if they request sensitive information. Understand that any call-back number, email address or website the person gives you is also a part of the scam. Never use that contact information. Instead, search for the organization’s official contact information and reach out to them directly. So if your “bank” calls you about apparent suspicious activity, hang up and call your bank directly.

3. Ignore Calls From Unknown Numbers

While it may be polite to answer every phone call, with spam calls and vishing on the rise, it’s best to let unknown numbers go to voicemail. If the call is legitimate, you’ll be able to tell by listening to their voicemail. 

4. Use Call-Blocking Features

Call-blocking features from your phone provider or reputable VPN providers can also filter out potential vishing scams. Smartphones and softphone from Microsoft Teams offer this functionality to help you avoid phony calls. 

5. Use Multi-factor Authentication (MFA) on All Your Accounts

By adding MFA to your accounts, it will add an extra layer of security that makes it harder for cyber criminals to access. They may be able to vish your credentials during an attack, but they likely won’t get the code to access. They may however get your code if all your passwords are the same, so use this as your reminder to create unique passwords every time. 

6. Monitor for Suspicious Activity

By continuously monitoring your network, you can prevent serious data breaches. Monitoring tools help you identify unusual behaviors, sudden spikes in network traffic, large data transfers and logins from unexpected locations. 

7. Add Extra Cybersecurity Staff

By bringing on an extra cybersecurity team member through our cybersecurity staffing augmentation, you’ll have more eyes to monitor your network, stop cyberattacks and support your team. 

A Quick Note on FakeCall

FakeCall is an Android based trojan (malware) and it will redirect calls intended for places like your bank. It will redirect your call to a command-and-control server for malicious activities. Then a cybercriminal will pretend to be whoever you called. 

FakeCall prompts users to install an APK and set it as their default call handler, which enables these types of vishing attacks. Only download apps directly from the app store to protect against these attacks and other scam apps. 

Be Proactive With Afidence 

The rising number of vishing attacks and other threats calls for the need to have proactive cybersecurity measures in place. It’s vital to train your employees to recognize and stop these attacks, leverage cutting-edge technologies and get the extra cybersecurity staff you need. 
Take the proactive approach and book a meeting with us today.