Hello! My name is Marco Baldi and I am a Telecommunications professor, specialising in Cybersecurity or, in other words, the security of data and digital systems. We live in a world which is increasingly connected and full of opportunities, but it is important to understand the risks concealed behind digital media. Awareness is the first line of defence. During this course, you will learn about one of the most common cyber-attacks: phishing. Have you ever heard of it? It is an illegal practice in which personal information and sensitive data are stolen through deception, exploiting one of the tools we all use most: email. Recently, these attacks have also been on the increase via other tools like instant messaging apps and social networks. The word “phishing” is a combination of “phreaking” and “fishing”. The former, in turn, consists of the words “phone” and “freaking”. It refers to “going fishing on the phone” or, in a more modern incarnation, “going fishing on the Internet”. This “fishing” aims to con people who use technology, making them victims of fraud. For this reason, phishing is considered a form of social engineering or, in other words, a technique exploiting the weaknesses of the “human factor” and using deception and manipulation to obtain information that criminals can use to their advantage. During this course, you will learn about how these attacks take place, how this practice has evolved over time, and some practical examples. You will also find out how to defend yourself! The guidelines you will encounter during the course will help you protect your personal and business data, making your digital life, and more besides, much safer.
