For most of us, Google controls most of their identity online, and losing access to that critical account can be devastating. A recent study from Google examined the various ways through which our accounts are compromised, and determined that phishing attacks, not data breaches pose the most risk to users when it comes to lost access. Google's study lasted a year and looked into how attackers take over accounts. While phishing, key logging, and data breaches impact everyone, Google focused on themselves as the case study. The study included data taken from 25,000 tools which have been used for phishing and key logging and enabled to identify a number of compromised credentials due to key loggers. Google confirmed that the majority of those using phishing kits and key loggers to compromise credentials are concentrated in Nigeria, followed by the United States, Morocco, South Africa, United Kingdom, and Malaysia.
Has somebody stolen your sensitive information such as your credit card details, usernames or passwords? Are you a victim of Cyber-crime? Well, then that’s what you call Data Phishing. In layman’s term, it means to steal someone’s personal information on a digital platform and use it for your benefit. So, how is Data breaching different from Data Phishing? Aren’t they both almost the same thing? That’s where the confusion lies. Data Breach is nowhere even close to Data Phishing. For those who are unaware of what Data Breach means, it refers to data leak to untrusted environment, intentionally or unintentionally. In simpler terms, it exposes the information to untrusted sources. Now, that can be accidental or intentional. So what is really threatening among the two? While both are equally bad for the users of the electronic media, Data phishing is worse than data breach. And why is that so? Well, in my opinion, in the event of data breach, you gain access to the information that is leaked. This information may or may not be of any use to you. Thus, in such times, one is not scared and worried about harm by others. Obviously, exceptions are there! But Data Phishing can be tricky as the person with the malicious intent may be eyeing on your intimate information to cause harm to you (By harm, I mean mentally and financially). Thus, they will gain access through your personal information in terms of credit card number and passwords and use it to benefit themselves. This could be risky. Moreover, what is important to understand is that data breach can happen with or without any wrong intentions. It can be a case of simple error or leak from the organization’s side. However, Data phishing is like a personal attack on you. It is undertaken to cause harm to you intentionally and has no other side to it. Thus, I feel that Data Phishing is far more threatening than data breach and one n\really needs to ensure that all the information shared on the internet is either shared through safe and secured channels or such personal information should not be shared at all.
For most of us, Google controls most of their identity online, and losing access to that critical account can be devastating. A recent study from Google examined the various ways through which our accounts are compromised, and determined that phishing attacks, not data breaches pose the most risk to users when it comes to lost access.
Google's study lasted a year and looked into how attackers take over accounts. While phishing, key logging, and data breaches impact everyone, Google focused on themselves as the case study. The study included data taken from 25,000 tools which have been used for phishing and key logging and enabled to identify a number of compromised credentials due to key loggers. Google confirmed that the majority of those using phishing kits and key loggers to compromise credentials are concentrated in Nigeria, followed by the United States, Morocco, South Africa, United Kingdom, and Malaysia.
Has somebody stolen your sensitive information such as your credit card details, usernames or
passwords? Are you a victim of Cyber-crime? Well, then that’s what you call Data Phishing. In layman’s
term, it means to steal someone’s personal information on a digital platform and use it for your benefit.
So, how is Data breaching different from Data Phishing? Aren’t they both almost the same thing? That’s
where the confusion lies. Data Breach is nowhere even close to Data Phishing. For those who are
unaware of what Data Breach means, it refers to data leak to untrusted environment, intentionally or
unintentionally. In simpler terms, it exposes the information to untrusted sources. Now, that can be
accidental or intentional. So what is really threatening among the two?
While both are equally bad for the users of the electronic media, Data phishing is worse than data
breach. And why is that so? Well, in my opinion, in the event of data breach, you gain access to the
information that is leaked. This information may or may not be of any use to you. Thus, in such times,
one is not scared and worried about harm by others. Obviously, exceptions are there! But Data Phishing
can be tricky as the person with the malicious intent may be eyeing on your intimate information to
cause harm to you (By harm, I mean mentally and financially). Thus, they will gain access through your
personal information in terms of credit card number and passwords and use it to benefit themselves.
This could be risky. Moreover, what is important to understand is that data breach can happen with or
without any wrong intentions. It can be a case of simple error or leak from the organization’s side.
However, Data phishing is like a personal attack on you. It is undertaken to cause harm to you
intentionally and has no other side to it.
Thus, I feel that Data Phishing is far more threatening than data breach and one n\really needs to ensure
that all the information shared on the internet is either shared through safe and secured channels or
such personal information should not be shared at all.