Pharming is a type of online fraud that involves malicious code and fake websites. Malicious code is installed on your computer or server by malicious actors. Without your consent or knowledge, the code automatically redirects you to malicious or fraudulent websites. The goal is to trick you into providing confidential information, such as payment card information or login information, on fraudulent websites. Your personal information could then be used by malicious actors to commit financial fraud and identity theft.
This blog is curated to provide all the information about pharming attacks.
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What is Pharming Attack?
Pharming is a combination of the words “phishing” and “farming.” This type of cybercrime is also referred to as “phishing without a bait.”
Pharming is a type of social engineering attack in which malicious actors redirect internet users who attempt to access a particular website to a different, fraudulent site. These “spoofed” sites are designed to steal a victim’s personally identifiable information (PII) and log-in account information, such as passwords, social security numbers, bank details, and so on, or to implement pharming malware on their device. Pharmers generally target websites in the financial sector, such as banks, internet banking platforms, or e-commerce sites, with the ultimate goal of identity theft.
An advanced pharming attack that targeted 50 financial institutions in 2007 is a great example. The attack involved the formation of fake websites that looked exactly like the genuine websites of the banking institutions targeted.
How does Pharming Attack Work?
Pharming takes advantage of the fundamentals of how the internet works, i.e, that the series of letters that structure an internet address, such as www.google.com, must be converted into an IP address by a DNS server in order for the connection to move ahead.
This process is attacked by pharming in one of two ways:
- First, a fraudster may send malicious code via email that installs malware or Trojan on a victim’s computer. This malicious code modifies the computer’s hosts file, directing traffic away from the targeted destination and toward a fraudulent website instead. In this type of pharming, known as malware-based pharming, irrespective of whether you enter the correct internet address, the compromised hosts’ file will redirect you to the malicious website.
- Second, the fraudster may use a technique known as DNS poisoning. DNS stands for “Domain Name System” – pharmers can change the DNS table on a server, causing various users to visit malicious websites rather than legitimate ones. Pharmers can use malicious websites to install viruses or Trojans on users’ computers or to gather personal and sensitive details for use in identity theft.
While DNS servers are more difficult to attack because they are located on an organization’s network and behind its safeguards, DNS poisoning can impact a large number of victims and thus provide significant rewards for malicious actors.
When pharmers collect your personal details, they either use them for malicious purposes themselves or sell them to other fraudsters on the dark web.
Pharming Symptoms - How to Tell If You are a Victim of Pharming?
The following are signs that you’ve been a victim of pharming:
- Transactions from PayPal or credit or debit cards that you do not recognize
- Comments or messages on social media that you did not publish Friend or connection requests from social networking sites that you did not send
- Changed the passwords on any of your online accounts?
- New programs or software that you did not download or install show up on your device.
Best Practices to Prevent Pharming
Installing, running, and maintaining antivirus and anti-malware software from reputable brands is an effective way to protect organizations and users from pharming attacks.
However, there are a number of best practices that can help users in staying safe online and avoid the significant risks of pharming. Proven strategies for protecting organizations from pharming include the following:
- Install a reputable anti-virus solution: Reliable anti-virus software should include tools that can not only identify but also block unusual or suspicious behavior and computer viruses. It must also be able to update in order to keep up with the ever-changing cybersecurity threat setting and make sure that an organization is always protected from the most recent pharming attack vectors.
- Use secure websites: The term Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) refers to website traffic that is encrypted and cannot be retrieved by an attacker. The “https” at the beginning of a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) or web address indicates this. Only use HTTPS-enabled websites, especially when conducting a financial transaction.
- Avoid visiting suspicious websites: It is important for users to use common sense when browsing the internet and visiting websites. They must stick to websites they are familiar with and trust, and avoid websites that appear suspicious. It is also crucial to evaluate sites that seem to be legitimate but do not seem to be the same as usual, which is usually a dead giveaway that you are on a pharmer’s website. In this case, users should take the time to browse the website and ensure that all of the expected pages are present. Pay attention to minor details such as privacy policies and terms of service.
- Check for typos in website URLs: Spelling errors in URLs are an obvious indication of a malicious website. Pharming attackers commonly cover up their websites by making minor changes to the URL, such as swapping or substituting letters.
- Use secure VPNs: VPNs that use trustable DNS servers can help users minimize the risk of pharming attacks that target DNS cache poisoning.
- Deals that seem to be too good to be true should be avoided: Online scammers will sometimes tempt victims with attractive offers, such as discounts that are significantly lower than the genuine competition. If an offer appears unrealistic, proceed with caution.
- Where possible, enable two-factor authentication: Many platforms provide two-factor authentication, and it’s a good idea to enable it when it’s usable. This makes your accounts more difficult to hack into – even if malicious actors obtain your log-in information through pharming, they will be unable to hack your account.
The effective way to secure yourself from cybercrimes like pharming and phishing is to use a combination of antivirus software and follow the most recent cybersecurity best practices.
