What is SMishing?

Most people who have an email account have probably heard of phishing attacks. We know to be wary of suspicious emails and IT departments keep a watchful eye on company email accounts. While phishing attacks are still pretty common, you should also be aware of SMishing. Like phishing scams, cybercriminals attempt to trick people into downloading malware, clicking on malicious links, or disclosing sensitive information through text messages. That’s right, these hackers can attack your personal or business phone number! Cybercriminals feed on people’s trust of messages coming into their personal and work devices. The type of information a SMisher is looking for can be anything from online passwords, private personal information, and financial information such as your credit card or banking numbers.  

What Does SMishing Look Like? 

SMishing attacks are strategic and will often send messages that cause people to be fearful of incurring charges, expiring services, or unusual questions about photos or videos all of which typically include a link you have to click. Typical topics of Smishing: 

1. “Urgent” messages in regards to financial accounts 

1. Fake messages that appear to come from trusted brands or people 

1. Random survey links that are not promoted by your recent purchases or activities 

1. Notifications you have won a prize or contest 
2. An urgent alert that an account is expiring, suspended or has unusual activity. 

How to Protect Your Business from SMishing? 

1. Make sure employees are aware of these types of mobile device attacks.   
2. Look for misspelled words, pay attention to URLs and the incoming contact or phone number. 
3. Only install apps from official and verified app stores. 
4. If you receive urgent alerts from what appears to be a trusted business or someone who has texted out of the blue, never click on the link! Always verify directly with that business or sender by reaching out to them directly. 

Even if you follow these tips, the best way to ensure your business is secure from SMishing attacks is to have a full-service mobile device management partner. By having an MDM partner like eSquared Communication Consulting, you can customize your team's mobile device usage and ensure device security. We offer you the ability to have web filter routing, web filter restrictions, APP install restrictions, and customized usage control settings. eSquared will manage your devices from a single point of control, provide the latest security operating system to prevent OS security gaps, and provide you the ability to lock or wipe a device remotely. We also provide a 24/7 help desk that can assist with any technical or security issue quickly and efficiently. 

If mobile device management seems like a good fit for your company, let’s connect!