Smishing: What you need to know.

Most people are already aware of the risks associated with clicking links in emails, but only a few acknowledge the dangers of clicking links in text messages. Because users are more inclined to trust text messages, the smishing technique is often profitable for threat actors looking to steal credentials, financial information, and personal data.

Smishing is a type of phishing attack in which scammers use text messages to persuade victims into opening malicious attachments or clicking on malicious links. So, rather than sending phishing content via email, these type of cyber criminals deliver their messages using SMS (short message services) or MMS (multimedia messages) text messages.

This kind of cyberattack involves tricking victims into disclosing sensitive information to a disguised hacker who can then use it to commit fraud or other malicious activities. Occasionally, SMS phishing can be assisted by malware or fraudulent websites.

The texts usually appear to be from a legitimate organization, such as the user’s bank, card issuer, a service provider like a mobile phone company, or even a government agency.

To conclude the definition part, smishing, a combination of the terms “SMS” and phishing, is referred to as a type of social engineering attack that is based on human trust exploitation rather than technical exploits to try and fool potential victims into disclosing private data.