Four effective methods to detect phishing attacks

Undoubtedly, internet is a huge pool of information and entertainment but it carries its darker side as well that can pose serious security threats for your privacy and information. Websites like Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, Dropbox and banking portals can be used by cybercriminals to execute phishing to steal important information and data.

The meaning and connotation of ‘phish’ refers to a scam or malicious website that imposters it to be an authentic or genuine website but unfortunately it is not. Their sole purpose is to steal your important financial information and this act of cybercrime is called as phishing. At certain occasions you easily identify a phishing website but you can fall prey to them if you fail to identify them. This article educates you about the effective methods that you can use to detect such scam websites.

Below discussed are the four effective anti-phishing methods using which you can prevent any such malicious and mischievous act:

Consider using a custom DNS service

You should preferably have a DNS resolution service so that you can track the websites you visit during web browsing. Your computer asks about the IP address before accessing any website and it asks for the DNS resolution service before reaching to the IP address. All the ISPs provide the DNS resolution service so it won’t be a problem for you to track the websites you had visited.

With DNS service you get just name resolution service but if you want something more than this then the right option of is to seek custom DNS service. Custom DNS service allows you to filter websites on the basis of malware, phishing threats as well as content. However, there are many custom DNS service provider but the best out of them is OpenDNS.

Use phishing list of your browser

Another effective method of detecting phishing is to use the phishing list provided by all modern web browsers. Before compiling the list of phishing websites, the browser scans all the websites you had visited to determine and rule out the possibility of a phishing website. In case it finds any it lets you know about it through message or warning pop up.

Check links or URLs on websites

There are several websites that can tell you about the authenticity of any link or URL when you are not quite sure about the risk it can pose to your security. A link directing you to an infected or malicious website can contribute to phishing. The best idea is to check these links on link checking websites if you are not familiar with them. These websites lets you know about such links that can help you prevent any malicious intent to steal information and privacy.

Use common security tactics

However, this is a very vague suggestion to detect phishing but using common security tactics you can easily defeat phishing attempts. You should do the following thing while browsing a website.

Always use a secure connectio

Using a secure connection is very important to prevent not only phishing but all kinds of online threats like viruses and malware as well. A secure connection can be ascertained by finding a green bar in the address bar as well as https appearing before the URL.

Check the domain of the URL

You should also check the URL domain that is expected to be in the right format. You can suspect threats like phishing if you find strange domain name. Checking domain name pays off as phishing websites usually carry a different domain name which is different from the usual.

Look at the website

Sometimes having a quick look on the website also helps you detecting phishing. If you find any website which is unusual or bizarre then it might be a scam website. You can cross-check it by opening the main website in a different tab and if you find it different from the one that you had visited earlier then probably you had landed on a phishing website.

If you follow the above discussed methods you can easily identify phishing or scam websites that can easily steam your important financial information. You must remember one thing that it is your cautious web browsing behavior that can protect you best from such threats.