how to protect yourself from this growing phenomenon

“Your package has been sent, please check it“, “Vou must pay 1.90€ VAT for your package and avoid customs clearance costs (15€)“, “VYour Facebook account has been compromised, please enter your credentials“. These text messages are probably familiar to you. Rest assured: you are not an isolated case. During the summer, a very large number of users told Twitter that they had received this type of message on their smartphones. “The phenomenon is not new, but it is growing, so… be careful not to fall into the trap by clicking on a fraudulent link!warns David Sygula, expert in cybersecurity for the start-up CybelAngel. Despite the doubt that legitimately affects a person receiving such a message, it is indeed “pure scams“he assures.

Like the phishing which is practiced by e-mail, smishing (SMS+phishing) is a scam method that operates via the smartphone. More precisely, it is for the fraudster to push a recipient to communicate his personal data (passwords, etc.) or bank details by pretending to be an official body. According to the French cybersecurity publisher, Sekoia. IO no less than 70,000 booby-trapped SMS were sent in mid-July. “But there is little doubt that this figure is actually much higher. All operators have been victims, and then it costs cybercriminals practically nothingexplains the cyber threat specialist.

How to recognize a case of smishing?

It is often difficult to detect a cyberattackbut if the smartphone starts idling or rowing more than usual, “it’s already a bad indicator“. “Especially since many people do not have their anti-virus software up to dateadds David Sygula. However, there are ways to detect possible fraud. For example, the language used in the text message (mistakes, nonsense sentences) can raise suspicion. “But there are not necessarily big spelling mistakes and language barriers for the simple reason that the law of the kilometer also works for hackershe nuances. In other words, the cybercriminals are not necessarily located on the other side of the world to prepare their scams. Otherwise, users can look into the URL. If the address noted in the SMS does not refer to an official URL (that of the site in question) “it is already a warning and a bad signalconfirms David Sygula.

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The most common smishing attacks are those using the most prominent brand names like netflix, Amazon Where Colissimo. The aim of fraudsters is tocast a wide net and reach as many people as possible in a minimum of time“says the expert to CybelAngel. And even if the click-through rate is low, the operation still proves profitable for these aces of deception. Because smishing is based on a sense of urgency. “You just need to wait for a delivery for it to work. It is profitable from 0.001% for hackers“explains the specialist. During 2020, 17% of requests for help on the platform Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr. concerned phishing. This is the No. 1 threat to individuals according to a government report published on the same platform.

What precautions to take?

It is obviously recommended to adopt an attitude of vigilance so as not to fall into the traps set by cybercriminals. Being slower, adopting an attitude of vigilance and good checking reflexes such as regularly updating your anti-virus software are all precautions that can allow us to avoid a SMS scamoften very anxiety-provoking.

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In the event of suspicion of smishing, any user can transfer the SMS in question to the number 33700 or report it by message on Internet-Signement.gouv. “There is a real utility in declaring it, seems convinced David Sygula. Cases of message scams are handled very efficiently by the authorities“.