WHAT IS SPOOFING?

Email spoofing happens when the cyber criminal uses a fake email address to commit a malicious act. The criminal may spoof the email address, email sender’s name, or both, depending on the email spoofing tactic. Additionally, the cyber criminal can assume multiple identities: the sender, the company, or both.

For example, a scammer can assume a generic-sounding identity, like Joan Smith, and email one or several employees with the email address [email protected] Joan Smith doesn’t work for XYZ Widgets, a large multinational company, but the recipient works there. They don’t know Joan isn’t an actual employee and, when the email hits their inbox, are inclined to trust the request since the company logo and other brand hallmarks are present.

Like phishing threats, the spoofed email uses urgent and convincing language to spur the recipient into immediate action. This sense of urgency it limits the chance for hesitation and questioning, and it convinces the recipient that they are helping and doing the right thing.

Caller ID spoofing is a common tactic that uses a phone number that appears to come from your area code. We are all more likely to answer a call when we see it is a local number.

When their call is answered, cyber criminals use social engineering tactics to keep people on the phone and trick them into acting. The cyber criminal may pretend to be a police officer. Because the caller ID looks authentic, the victim is convinced to pay fines that don’t exist and provide confidential information, all under the threat of being arrested.

Some cyber criminals even tell the victim to call them back on the number if they don’t trust them. This advanced social engineering technique strengthens the relationship and gives a sense of legitimacy to the call.

Website spoofing uses a fake website that looks legitimate. A spoofed website looks exactly like the actual website – the logo, branding, colors, layout, domain name, and contact details are all the same. It's challenging to identify a spoofed website without very close inspection of the domain name or looking for small flaws in the text.

Cyber criminals use spoofed websites for various reasons, including collecting login details, stealing credit card information, installing malware, or another malicious act. Often the victim receives a spoofed email first that directs them to the spoofed website.

Text messaging spoofing uses a spoofed phone number to send malicious text messages. The cyber criminal hides behind the phone number, sender name, or both. This type of spoofing relies on advanced research to understand which types of text messages will entice the recipient to open and respond.

The text message may include a phone number for the recipient to call or a link to a malicious website used to commit other cyber crimes. The text message uses social engineering tactics to convince the recipient to respond quickly.

GPS spoofing sends a fake GPS signal to a GPS receiver which then causes all GPS devices in the area to show an incorrect location. Cyber criminals use GPS spoofing to gain control of vehicles, boats, drones, and anyone relying on a navigation system. GPS spoofing is an advanced tactic that can hijack drones or ships and interfere with military navigation systems.

IP address spoofing hides the true identity and location of the computer or mobile device used by the cyber criminal. Cyber criminals might spoof an IP address for a network that uses IP address authentication, making it easy to gain access to the network.

Typically, IP address spoofing is used to commit a denial-of-service attack, thereby overwhelming the network with traffic and ultimately shutting it down. In other scenarios, the cyber criminal aims to hide their location from the recipient. This approach can be used with email spoofing or website spoofing to add more legitimacy to the attack.

Address Resolution Protocol or ARP spoofing is an advanced technical cyber attack that connects the cyber criminal’s Media Access Control (MAC) address to an actual IP address. This tactic enables the cyber criminal to intercept and steal data intended for the IP address owner. ARP spoofing is typically used to steal data or commit man-in-the-middle attacks as part of a denial-of-service attack or during session hijacking.

Domain Name Server or DNS spoofing allows cyber criminals to redirect traffic from the intended legitimate IP address to a faked IP address. Cyber criminals may use this spoofing tactic to direct victims to websites that install malware.

Extension spoofing disguises the file type, making it easier to convince people to download and install attachments. Cyber criminals know that people have been warned against installing executables. The cyber criminal may disguise a malware executable with a spoofed extension such as doc.exe. The file displays in the email as newfile.doc, and the recipient does not think twice about downloading and installing it.

Facial spoofing is a new type of spoofing that relies on facial recognition software to unlock devices or access a secure building. This type of spoofing is relatively rare, but with advances in facial recognition technology and more companies using facial recognition as part of their security system, the risks with facial spoofing will grow. A cyber criminal can use pictures found on social media to build a likeness of an individual and then use this to unlock any security system that uses facial recognition.