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Reαd carefully: how to spot – and avoid – a homoglyph attack

Reαd carefully: how to spot – and avoid – a homoglyph attack

Summary

Homoglyph attacks use letters from different alphabets that look like normal characters to trick people into clicking on fake links in emails or texts. These links lead to scam websites designed to steal personal information like usernames and passwords.

Key Facts

  • Homoglyph attacks involve replacing letters with similar-looking characters from other alphabets, such as Cyrillic or Japanese scripts.
  • Criminals use these fake characters to create URLs and email addresses that appear real at first glance.
  • These attacks often direct people to phishing sites that ask for login details, one-time codes, or other personal data.
  • Fraudsters focus on making links seem trustworthy to avoid detection by email filters and encourage quick, careless clicks.
  • Checking website addresses carefully is difficult because the fake characters can look identical in some fonts.
  • Experts advise typing a known website address directly instead of clicking links in messages.
  • Using updated web browsers and two-factor authentication helps protect against these scams.
  • This kind of fraud is considered more psychological, aiming to rush people into mistakes by causing panic or urgency.
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