Text or SMS-based phishing (otherwise known as “smishing”) has become an emerging threat.

Your contact information is scraped or gathered through a public forum or contact list such as an attendee listing or conference/webinar signup sheet. An attacker makes the assumption that the parties are related (e.g. all work at TWU) and attempts to send the phishing attack through SMS texts impersonating one party.

Here are some additional resources that explain what a smishing attack is, as well as tips to guard against them:

• YouTube video
• Article – “What is Smishing and How to Defend Against it? “

The best ways to guard against a smishing are similar to guarding against phishing emails. Always scrutinize the implied urgency of any message you receive, and if possible, verify with the sender using another method (e.g. calling the sender to confirm).