[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":343},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-post-\u002Fblog\u002Fphishing-how-not-to-get-hooked":3,"blog-translation-\u002Fblog\u002Fphishing-how-not-to-get-hooked":328,"blog-more-\u002Fblog\u002Fphishing-how-not-to-get-hooked":330},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"body":7,"category":316,"date":317,"description":318,"extension":319,"image":320,"meta":321,"navigation":322,"path":323,"readingTime":324,"seo":325,"stem":326,"stylesheet":316,"translationKey":22,"updated":316,"__hash__":327},"blog_en\u002Fblog\u002Fphishing-how-not-to-get-hooked.md","Phishing - How to Not Get Hooked","damian-waszczak",{"type":8,"value":9,"toc":304},"minimark",[10,15,24,29,32,72,76,120,124,127,153,157,164,184,188,195,211,215,267,271,291,294,298],[11,12,14],"h1",{"id":13},"phishing-how-not-to-get-hooked-by-online-scammers","Phishing - how not to get hooked by online scammers",[16,17,18,19,23],"p",{},"In a world where almost everything we do is supported by the internet, we’ve also become a target of increasingly sophisticated attacks.\nOne of the most common is ",[20,21,22],"strong",{},"phishing"," - a technique where criminals impersonate trusted people, institutions, or services to steal sensitive information or infect your device. In this article, we’ll explain how phishing works, cover its most popular variants, and share practical ways to stay safe.",[25,26,28],"h2",{"id":27},"how-does-phishing-work","How does phishing work?",[16,30,31],{},"A phishing attack usually starts with “bait”, such as:",[33,34,35,42,48,54,60,66],"ul",{},[36,37,38,41],"li",{},[20,39,40],{},"An email"," pretending to be a message from a bank, a service provider, or a delivery company.",[36,43,44,47],{},[20,45,46],{},"An SMS"," with an alarming note asking you to “verify” something or “extend” a service.",[36,49,50,53],{},[20,51,52],{},"A social media message"," with a link and a request for “urgent” action.\nThese messages are often characterized by:",[36,55,56,59],{},[20,57,58],{},"A cloned look and logo"," of the original website or app.",[36,61,62,65],{},[20,63,64],{},"A look‑alike domain"," (“pk0bp.pl” instead of “pkobp.pl”).",[36,67,68,71],{},[20,69,70],{},"A sense of urgency"," (“Your account is locked!”, “You have 10 minutes to confirm your details!”).\nClicking the link takes you to a fake page designed to steal credentials - or triggers malicious code via an attachment.",[25,73,75],{"id":74},"common-phishing-variants","Common phishing variants",[77,78,79,88,96,104,112],"ol",{},[36,80,81,84,87],{},[20,82,83],{},"E-mail phishing",[85,86],"br",{},"\nStandard fake emails.",[36,89,90,93,95],{},[20,91,92],{},"Spear phishing",[85,94],{},"\nTargeted attacks aimed at specific people or teams.",[36,97,98,101,103],{},[20,99,100],{},"Smishing",[85,102],{},"\nPhishing delivered via SMS.",[36,105,106,109,111],{},[20,107,108],{},"Vishing",[85,110],{},"\nPhone‑based scams (often impersonating a bank employee).",[36,113,114,117,119],{},[20,115,116],{},"Pharming",[85,118],{},"\nRedirecting you to a fake site (e.g., via hosts file tampering or DNS attacks).",[25,121,123],{"id":122},"attachments-and-links-common-traps","Attachments and links - common traps",[16,125,126],{},"Phishing most often uses:",[33,128,129,135,141,147],{},[36,130,131,134],{},[20,132,133],{},"PDF, DOCX, XLSX documents"," that may contain macros launching malicious scripts.",[36,136,137,140],{},[20,138,139],{},".exe, .scr files"," that install malware or ransomware.",[36,142,143,146],{},[20,144,145],{},"ZIP\u002FRAR archives"," hiding malicious payloads.",[36,148,149,152],{},[20,150,151],{},"HTML\u002FJS files"," that open in a browser and redirect to credential‑stealing pages.",[25,154,156],{"id":155},"the-role-of-social-engineering","The role of social engineering",[16,158,159,160,163],{},"Phishing isn’t just technology - it’s also ",[20,161,162],{},"manipulation",". Attackers exploit emotions to make you act out of fear or urgency:",[33,165,166,172,178],{},[36,167,168,171],{},[20,169,170],{},"Fear",": “Your account has been locked!”",[36,173,174,177],{},[20,175,176],{},"Urgency",": “You have 15 minutes to respond!”",[36,179,180,183],{},[20,181,182],{},"Greed",": “You’ve won a prize - claim it now!”",[25,185,187],{"id":186},"phishing-and-ai","Phishing and AI",[16,189,190,191,194],{},"More and more often, criminals use ",[20,192,193],{},"AI"," to generate more convincing messages:",[33,196,197,200],{},[36,198,199],{},"They craft content based on your public profiles.",[36,201,202,203,206,207,210],{},"They mimic the writing style of colleagues or friends.\n",[20,204,205],{},"How can you validate the sender?"," Ask a non‑obvious question that only the real person would know (e.g., “What was the name of our project team in 2019?”). A scammer’s answer is likely to be generic or incorrect.\n",[20,208,209],{},"Typosquatting examples","\nScammers often use addresses that look very similar to the real ones:\n| Real address |\tFake address |\n| --- | --- |\n| allegro.pl | aIlegro.pl |\n| mbank.pl | mbarnk.pl |\n| netflix.com | netfIix.com |\n| poczta.onet.pl | pocztaa.onet.pl |\n| paypal.com | paypaI.com |\n| apple.com | app1e.com |",[25,212,214],{"id":213},"how-to-protect-yourself","How to protect yourself",[77,216,217,225,233,250,258],{},[36,218,219,222,224],{},[20,220,221],{},"Verify the sender",[85,223],{},"\nCheck the domain carefully - even a small typo is a red flag.",[36,226,227,230,232],{},[20,228,229],{},"Don’t click impulsively",[85,231],{},"\nHover over links to see where they really lead.",[36,234,235,238,240,241,245,246,249],{},[20,236,237],{},"Treat attachments with caution",[85,239],{},"\nAvoid opening ",[242,243,244],"code",{},".exe",", ",[242,247,248],{},".scr",", or ZIP files from unknown senders.",[36,251,252,255,257],{},[20,253,254],{},"Remember: a bank will never ask for your password",[85,256],{},"\nLegitimate institutions do not request full passwords or PIN codes via email or SMS.",[36,259,260,263,264,266],{},[20,261,262],{},"Enable 2FA"," (two‑factor authentication)",[85,265],{},"\nEven if someone gets your password, they can’t log in without the second factor.",[25,268,270],{"id":269},"what-to-do-if-you-become-a-victim","What to do if you become a victim",[77,272,273,279,285],{},[36,274,275,278],{},[20,276,277],{},"Change your passwords"," - especially for email and banking.",[36,280,281,284],{},[20,282,283],{},"Contact your bank"," - they can block suspicious transactions.",[36,286,287,290],{},[20,288,289],{},"Report the incident"," - to your national CERT or local authorities.",[292,293],"hr",{},[25,295,297],{"id":296},"summary","Summary",[16,299,300,301],{},"Online safety starts with awareness. ",[20,302,303],{},"Don’t get hooked - stay alert.",{"title":305,"searchDepth":306,"depth":306,"links":307},"",2,[308,309,310,311,312,313,314,315],{"id":27,"depth":306,"text":28},{"id":74,"depth":306,"text":75},{"id":122,"depth":306,"text":123},{"id":155,"depth":306,"text":156},{"id":186,"depth":306,"text":187},{"id":213,"depth":306,"text":214},{"id":269,"depth":306,"text":270},{"id":296,"depth":306,"text":297},null,"2025-07-02","Learn how to protect yourself from the growing threat of phishing in everyday life.","md","\u002Fblog\u002Fcovers\u002Fphishing.webp",{},true,"\u002Fblog\u002Fphishing-how-not-to-get-hooked",3,{"title":5,"description":318},"blog\u002Fphishing-how-not-to-get-hooked","4fIYouNHZbtDwP-UHLNg0sCRw2P6QqI-TIokdl2R0l0",{"path":329},"\u002Fpl\u002Fblog\u002Fphishing-jak-sie-chronic",[331,335,339],{"path":332,"title":333,"description":334},"\u002Fblog\u002Fnewest-solution-to-phishing","Our Newest Solution to Phishing Attacks","AntiBait - an AI-assisted tool for validating suspicious emails.",{"path":336,"title":337,"description":338},"\u002Fblog\u002Fxdr-system-infographic","XDR system infographic","XDR architecture overview - data sources, processing, and key metrics.",{"path":340,"title":341,"description":342},"\u002Fblog\u002Fcybersecurity-in-a-nutshell","Cybersecurity in a Nutshell","A practical guide to core cybersecurity concepts (SIEM, SOC, EDR, XDR, SOAR, IMS) with examples and tips for protecting data and IT infrastructure.",1792836495725]