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SMS are another channel to exploit with malware links, just as emails and social media networks are. I have perceived an increase of the usage of the former channel to send these sort of links as of late, and there are even government-based campaigns on the media (in my country of residence) these days warning people of these practices through SMSs.
I figure there is a combines set of reasons for this:
- Scammers will diversify the methods and channels they use.
- I’d say people may tend to be more confident in SMS received context, specially certain age segments, as it seems something rather personal.
- The SMS channel has not been overly exploited with malware links. That gives them a certain chance because the channel may not yet be seen as a malware prone point of entry by many.
- SMSs are a bit more difficult to visually identify the sender as been either legit or a scam just by looking at the sender’s information (after all, it’s just a phone number).
- Emails have some degree of protection through spam filters, with years of work behind. They are certainly not impenetrable though, as we see on a daily basis. SMSs on the other hand, I believe, don’t have that much in play in this sense. I have seen some antiviruses that incorporate some sort of solution, and/or some apps that claim to help in this sense, but I’ve never really taken a look into it really (nor would likely feel inclined to give further snoop privileges to an app or such).
What to do is pretty clear, and is in line with making people conscious that malware can be received through this channel, just as it can over emails, needing to take similar precautions, develop a sense of wariness, and refrain from clicking links.