Spoofing

Spoofing is an activity in which cyber fraudsters pretend to be trustworthy to win other people's trust. The main purpose of spoofing is to gain access to the software system of an individual, steal information, spread malware, or collect money under the falsehood of a legitimate entity.

Spoofing sometimes includes disclosing a person's sensitive information by a criminal that could trigger a person to perform a course of action, like clicking on an unknown link. This can take place in various ways: like calling, email, URL, text messages on phones, GPS, etc.

• Spoofing is a practice where scammers pose as trusted individuals to gain the trust of others.
• The main goal of spoofing is to gain access to a person's software system, steal their information, spread malware, and extort money from them.
• There are different types- such as email spoofing, call spoofing, face I.D. spoofing, caller I.D. spoofing, and message spoofing.
• This activity may lead to the disclosure of a person's sensitive information, which might persuade someone to click on the link and take some action.

Spoofing in cybersecurity involves two parties -the person who does the spoofing via emails or websites and falls victim to such an act via different methods.

The criminals do this via social engineering a range of malicious activities involving various human interactions. The preparator does this in a very misleading manner in which they gather the information about the person and try to help them by establishing trust. However, in the same process, they create a problem by sending links or injecting malware into the system through bypass networks, file attachments, domain name servers, etc.

Some of the common types of spoofing are:

1. Email spoofing: It is sending fake messages from a false identity masquerading itself as the true or prudential source. By clicking on the link or opening the email, the malware infects the computer, or cyber criminals extort money through various means from people's accounts. They do this through email advertising, banks, or another legitimate source where the sender's address, logos, and other things are missing.
2. Text message Spoofing: It involves sending fake text messages to the victim's phone. The text body sent by the cybercriminal often contains a problematic link or a scheme to extort money through malicious activities. The messaging will be in such a way that it incites the receiver to click over the link.
3. Website spoofing: It is also referred to as cybersquatting. Cybercriminals steal credentials, credit cards, debit card information, and other information by creating a website that looks like a duplicate of the original website.
4. DNS spoofing: Domain name server spoofing involves redirecting the website traffic from the legitimate I.P. address to the fake IP address. The intent here is to redirect the people to websites filled with malware that may inject into the system, capture all data, and prove harmful to the people.
5. Facial Spoofing: Criminals perform this spoofing via facial recognition technology that unlocks devices using face match detection. Cybercriminals can very tactfully find the pictures of the person and modify them. Then, using facial recognition software, they can use these pictures to unlock the system with sensitive user information.
6. Caller ID spoofing: In this type of spoofing, the criminals use a phone number with a similar area code. Humans tend to pick up the phone if it's from a local code number. When the receiver picks up the call, these scammers deploy social engineering methods to keep people engaged on the phone and trick them. For example, the spoofer may act as an income tax officer and ask for money, and they convince the victim to pay the money and provide all the credentials under threat.

Let us look at a few spoofing examples to understand the concept better:

Example #1

A scammer could produce an email that appears to be from a Google wallet. The user receives a warning that their account will be suspended if they don't click a link. They login to the website and change the password. The user is scammed when they type in the credentials. The hacker now has the credentials to authenticate into the user's Google Wallet account to ultimately extort money from the user. Social engineering can trick a target user into sending millions of dollars to an attacker's bank account.

Example #2

Recently, in India, multiple users have complained about receiving messages on WhatsApp and via SMS from unknown sources threatening to disconnect their electricity, phone, or other connections unless they call a specific number. The message threatened to disconnect the power because the customer had not updated their bill.

These attempts frequently mimic reputable companies or personal contacts to persuade the target to click on a link or confidently provide personal information. This case falls under the category of message spoofing.

Spoofing can be prevented in the following ways:

• Users must read the email spoof messages carefully and check if they contain wrong grammar, typos, and poor sentence structure, which is a clear sign that someone is trying to spoof them.
• Two-factor authentication adds a security layer to the spoofing attacks. The devices should be completely foolproof so that spammer cannot directly enter the systems.
• Encrypting data can be a great way to attack spammers while interacting with the systems' data. The internet protocols, such as HTTP Secure (HTTPS), Transport Layer Security (TLS), Secure Shell (SSH), etc., can deter online criminals.
• Purchasing cybersecurity software is an excellent way to guard against online cybercriminals. Downloading antivirus software is necessary for computer devices as it saves the systems from viruses or other harmful threats.
• Getting a Virtual Private Network (VPN) is necessary as it helps encrypt the data because the external party cannot read it.
• Users should set strong passwords in the systems and applications so that scammers can't easily track the password and break the sensitive and personal information. Therefore, it is best to avoid using the same password for everything.

The key differences between spoofing and phishing are as follows:

This article has been a guide to Spoofing and its meaning. We explain the topic, including its comparison with phishing, examples, types, and how to prevent it. You may also find some useful articles here -

• Financial Crime
• Nigerian Scam
• Credit Card Fraud