Pharming is a cyberattack where potential victims are redirected to a fraudulent website that looks legitimate. Once there, the victim ends up sharing sensitive information which is then sent to the attacker.
Example:
Julius is trying to access his university’s online portal to submit tuition payments. He unknowingly lands on a fake website resembling the university’s portal. Julius then enters his login credentials, which are then captured by the attacker. The attacker can now lock and reset the password of Julius’ actual university portal and demand payment to return the account to Julius.
Prevention Tips:
- Enable two-factor authentication on your accounts.
- Bookmark trusted websites instead of typing the URL directly.
- Double-check the URL before entering login credentials.