{"id":126926,"date":"2024-09-06T05:23:07","date_gmt":"2024-09-06T12:23:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/?p=126926"},"modified":"2024-09-06T07:02:50","modified_gmt":"2024-09-06T14:02:50","slug":"how-to-spot-fake-login-pages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/privacy-identity-protection\/how-to-spot-fake-login-pages\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Spot Fake Login Pages\u202f"},"content":{"rendered":"

Have you ever come across a website that just didn\u2019t look quite right? Perhaps the company logo looked slightly misshapen, or the font seemed off-brand. Odds are, you landed on a phony version of a legitimate corporation\u2019s website\u2014a tried and true tactic relied on by many cyber criminals.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Fake Login Pages Explained\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

A fake login page is essentially a knock-off of a real login page used to trick people into entering their login credentials, which hackers can later use to break into online accounts. These websites mirror legitimate pages by using company logos, fonts, formatting, and overall templates. Depending on the attention to detail put in by the hackers behind the imposter website, it can be nearly impossible to distinguish from the real thing. Consequentially, fake login pages can be highly effective in their end goal: credential theft.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How do these pages get in front of a consumer in the first place? Typically, scammers will target unsuspecting recipients with\u00a0<\/span>phishing emails<\/span> spoofing a trusted brand. These emails may state that the user needs to reset their password or\u00a0entice them with a deal that sounds too good to be true. If the consumer clicks on the link in the email, they will be directed to the fake login page and asked to enter their username and password. Once they submit their information, cybercriminals can use\u00a0the consumer\u2019s data to conduct credential-stuffing attacks and hack their online profiles. This could lead to\u00a0credit card fraud, data extraction, wire transfers,\u00a0<\/span>identity theft<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0and more.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Why Fake Login Pages Are Effective <\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

If you Google \u201cfake login pages,\u201d you will quickly find countless guides on how to create fake websites in seconds. Ethical concerns aside, this demonstrates just how common vector-spoofed websites are for cyberattacks. While it has been easier to distinguish between real and fake login pages in the past, criminals are constantly updating their techniques to be more sophisticated, therefore making it more difficult for consumers to recognize their fraudulent schemes. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One reason\u00a0<\/span>why fake login pages are so effective<\/span><\/a>\u00a0is\u00a0due to\u00a0<\/span>inattentional blindness<\/span><\/a>, or failure to notice something that is completely visible because of a lack of attention.\u202fOne of the most famous studies on inattentional blindness is the \u201cinvisible gorilla test.\u201d In this study, participants watched a video of people dressed in black and white shirts passing basketballs. Participants were asked to count the number of times the team in white passed the ball:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n