Phishing and pharming are two terms that are often confused with each other. However, there is a big difference between the two! In this blog post, we will discuss the difference between pharming and phishing, and explain how you can protect yourself from these attacks.
What is an Attack?
Before we can discuss pharming and phishing, we first need to know what an attack is. In computing, an attack is any malicious act that attempts to compromise the security of a computer system or network. There are many different types of attacks, but the two most common ones are phishing and pharming.
What is Pharming?
Pharming is a type of attack that redirects traffic to a fake website. This can be done by modifying the hosts file on your computer, or by exploiting a vulnerability in DNS (Domain Name System). When you try to visit a legitimate website, you will instead be redirected to a fake website that looks like the real thing. The goal of pharming is to steal your login credentials or personal information.
What is Phishing?
Phishing is a type of attack where attackers send fraudulent emails purporting to be from legitimate companies. The goal of phishing attacks is to trick users into providing their personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers. Phishing emails often look very similar to genuine messages from trusted sources.
Why do they Matter?
The reason it matters which type of attack you are targeted with is because the methods used for each one are different. For example, if you are targeted with a phishing attack, the attacker will try to trick you into clicking on a malicious link or opening an infected file.
However, if you are targeted with a pharming attack, the attacker will try to redirect your web traffic to a fake website that looks like the real thing. This can be very dangerous, as you may enter your login credentials or other sensitive information without realizing it!
Difference Between Pharming and Phishing
Phishing and pharming are both types of cyber attacks that attempt to steal sensitive information. However, there is a big difference between the two.
Phishing is an attack where criminals send fraudulent emails or messages in order to trick people into giving up their personal information such as passwords or credit card numbers. Pharming, on the other hand, is a type of attack where criminals exploit vulnerabilities in DNS servers in order to redirect users to fake websites. This allows them to harvest user data without needing any sort of interaction from the victim.
So what’s the difference? Well, phishing relies on social engineering techniques in order to fool people into giving up their information, while pharming takes advantage of security holes in systems in order to automatically redirect users to fake websites.
Phishing is also generally less successful than pharming, as people are more likely to be suspicious of emails asking for personal information than they are of automatically redirected webpages. However, pharming attacks can be more difficult to detect and prevent than phishing attacks.
So which one should you be worried about? Well, both! It’s important to be aware of the dangers of both phishing and pharming and take steps to protect yourself from these attacks.
Steps to protect yourself from Pharming and Phishing
There are several things you can do to protect yourself from pharming and phishing attacks:
- Never enter your personal information into a website that you don’t trust.
- Make sure that the website is encrypted, by looking for the padlock symbol in your browser’s address bar.
- Check the URL of websites before entering any personal information. The URL should start with “HTTPS” rather than “HTTPS”.
- Don’t open emails from unknown sources, and be suspicious of emails that appear to be from trusted companies but have strange or unexpected subject lines.
- Always keep your antivirus software up to date, and run regular scans of your computer for malware.
- Never share your passwords with anyone.
- Create strong passwords that are difficult to guess.
- Use two-factor authentication whenever possible. This adds an extra layer of security to your accounts, by requiring a second piece of information (such as a code sent to your phone) in order to log in.
Conclusion
Pharming and phishing are two very serious security threats that you should be aware of. By following the tips above, you can protect yourself from these attacks. Stay safe online!