Receiving attacks through email, such as Phishing, is very common. So is receiving spam, something that on many occasions could seriously compromise our security. This means that we must always take precautions. In this article we echo why Google considers that some users can receive more attacks of this type than others.
Why Some Users Get More Phishing and Spam
It is a reality that through email we can suffer a wide variety of attacks. Hackers use a number of strategies to put our privacy and security at risk. Phishing or Spam are some of those problems.
However, not all users receive these threats equally. There are certain sectors where it is more common. Google has explained what can cause you to be more at risk of this problem. We must also know the differences between Phishing and Spam.
Personal information leakage
According to Google , one of the reasons that some users receive more Phishing attacks and spam is the leakage of personal information . This is obvious. The more data we leave on the network, the more our information is available to third parties, the more problems we can have.
An example could be writing in a public forum or comment on a website and making the email address available to bots. This would allow us to be included in spam campaigns and the account to be used for identity theft attacks.
Depending on where we live
Another issue to take into account and that can cause us to receive spam emails or even Phishing attacks is depending on where we live. From Google they indicate that the geographical factor greatly influences campaigns of this type that we can find on the web. Some target specific countries or sets of countries.
They gave as an example Australia and the United States, two countries that share a language. In this sense, the former had twice the probability of receiving an attack in relation to the population.
The age of the user
The age of the user also influences. According to this Google report, people between 55 and 64 years old are 1.64 times more likely to receive a malicious email than the age group between 18 and 24 years old. Hackers seek to attack people who may have less knowledge to protect themselves on the network.
The device used
Another point that also influences receiving more or less Phishing or Spam attacks is the type of device we use. Mobile phones are less likely to receive malicious emails, according to Google. On desktop computers the probability is higher. We already know that today we use a wide range of options to surf the net.
Ultimately, these are the factors that can be decisive to receive more or less Phishing or Spam attacks. The important thing, as we always say, is to properly protect our equipment. It is essential to have security programs, have systems updated and thus correct vulnerabilities, in addition to maintaining common sense at all times and not making mistakes.
