Many companies and individuals are exposed to spoofing on a daily basis, a type of fraud where fraudsters falsify digital information to pretend to be banks, authorities, or other trusted senders. The purpose is often to steal personal information, gain unauthorized access, or spread malware.
What is spoofing?
Spoofing involves someone falsifying information to impersonate someone else, with the aim of misleading the recipient in order to gain access to sensitive information, such as passwords. It is a common technique in online fraud and can take several different forms depending on what is being “spoofed.”
How does spoofing work?
Imagine you receive a text message that appears to come from your bank. The message says that a suspicious transaction has taken place and that you must immediately click on a link to verify your account. The link leads to a website that looks exactly like the bank’s real website, but in fact it is fake. If you enter your sensitive data or personal information, it will end up directly in the hands of the fraudster.
This is an example of SMS spoofing, but the same method is used in emails, phone calls, and fake websites, among other things.
In this article, we will go through the different types of spoofing that exist and how you can protect yourself.
Different types of spoofing
Telephone spoofing/SMS spoofing
In telephone call spoofing, the caller ID is manipulated so that the call appears to come from a trusted source, such as the tax authority, your bank, or a colleague. The fraudster may try to deceive you in various ways, for example by asking for sensitive information or trying to get you to perform an action, such as verifying bank details or approving a transaction.
▶ Example of SMS spoofing: You receive a call that appears to come from your bank, where someone claims that your account has been hacked and that you must log in via a link sent in an SMS. The fraudsters can even make the number that is calling appear to be “real.”
IP spoofing
In IP spoofing, the fraudster changes their IP address to hide their true identity. This is often used to bypass security systems, carry out DDoS attacks, or gain unauthorized access to networks.
▶ Example of IP spoofing: Hackers use fake IP addresses to attack a server without being traced.
Website spoofing/domain spoofing/URL spoofing
Through website spoofing, fraudsters create fake websites that look like real services, such as a bank login page or an e-commerce payment page. The aim is to trick users into entering their login details or card details.
Example of website spoofing: You receive an email stating that your PayPal account has been blocked and click on a link to a fake PayPal page, where the fraudsters steal your login details.
Email spoofing
Here, the attacker manipulates the “From:” field in an email to make it look as if the message comes from, for example, a manager, colleague, supplier, or authority, even though it was actually sent from a completely different server. The aim is often to trick the recipient into clicking on links, divulging sensitive information, or approving a payment.
▶ Example: An email appears to come from CEO@yourcompany.com (a fictitious example), but the sender is actually someone else entirely.
DNS spoofing
DNS spoofing (also known as DNS cache poisoning) is a type of cyberattack where the attacker manipulates DNS information so that you are unknowingly directed to a fake or malicious website – even though you have entered the correct address in your browser. In DNS spoofing, the attacker manages to get a DNS server – or a local DNS cache in your computer or router – to store incorrect information.
▶ Example: You type www.yourbank.com into your browser, but end up on a fake page that looks identical, because the DNS has been redirected in the background.
How to protect yourself against spoofing attacks
Spoofing attacks are unfortunately common, but there is a lot you can do to avoid spoofing and similar scams.
For private individuals:
- Use two-factor authentication on your important accounts.
- Verify the sender by double-checking email addresses, phone numbers, and links before clicking.
- Never click on links in unexpected messages about banking or account matters.
- Be skeptical of urgent messages. Fraudsters often create a sense of panic to get you to act quickly and reveal sensitive information.
- Never download unknown files. Attachments may contain malicious code.
- Keep your software up to date, as updates plug security holes that fraudsters can exploit.
- Never disclose personal or sensitive information, such as passwords, personal details, card details, or similar, on unknown websites online or over the phone to unknown parties.
- Always verify via another means of communication if something seems strange – for example, by calling the sender directly if you have received an unexpected payment email.
For businesses:
- Implement technical protections such as SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. This prevents fraudsters from sending fake emails in the name of your company.
- Train staff in IT security to help employees identify fraud attempts.
- Establish clear procedures for financial transactions by introducing two-step verification for large payments to reduce the risk of CEO fraud.
- Monitor and protect your company’s domains by implementing a domain monitoring service and registering common misspellings and similar domains to prevent fraudsters from creating fake websites in your brand name.
- Monitor network traffic and use security tools. Tools such as SIEM and IDS can detect suspicious IP addresses and intrusion attempts.
- Establish an incident management plan. Have a clear process for how spoofing attacks should be reported and handled internally.
Remember: If you have been the victim of spoofing and, for example, have accidentally disclosed bank details, important passwords, or similar information, contact your bank and file a police report.
Use Dotkeeper to protect yourself against spoofing
Want to learn more about how you can protect your organization against spoofing and other malicious cyber threats? With proactive security solutions and expert advice, Dotkeeper can strengthen your company’s digital defenses against fraud.
Our services protect your email from being forged through spoofing and phishing attacks and secure domains against manipulation. Our Premium DNS service guarantees high availability and reduces the risk of fraudsters exploiting technical vulnerabilities.
We also help you monitor and protect domain names, keeping an eye out to ensure that no one uses similar addresses to deceive customers and employees.
Contact us for a personalized solution!