How they use an email to attack us
We all have at least one email address. We need it to register on platforms, link a mobile phone or even as a contact with administrations. It is essential today and that is also a problem if the management falls into the wrong hands, as they could have some control.
Register on platforms
The first and easiest thing for a hacker is to use your email address to sign up on other platforms that you are not interested in. For example on Internet forums, sites that are not always secure and where your data may be in danger, etc. This can be a major problem.
It is true that in most cases we have to click on a link to activate the account, but even with that we could hit it by mistake. From there we could be receiving spam or that someone uses an Internet account thanks to our email address and without our permission.
Send spam and attacks
could also send spam to your address. If someone knows what your e-mail is, for example if you have posted it publicly on a forum or web page, they could put it on a spam list and you will start receiving e-mails of this type. This is obviously a problem, as you could see your tray constantly flooding.
But in addition, they could use it to carry out attacks. Spam isn’t just annoying mail, it could become a real security issue. They could sneak some malicious file with the aim that we click and download it. That is why it is advisable not to expose the address publicly. Opening a spam email can be dangerous and should be avoided.
To know more about you
Your email address may say a lot more about you than you think. You may use a name that you also use on social media and other platforms. An attacker who had access to the address could simply look up that pseudonym you use in the address to see if you also use it in social networks.
What can you get with this? It could enter your social networks and find out more about you, such as where you live, who your friends are, interests, where you work… This type of information is very important for cybercriminals, since they could create more personal Phishing attacks and be more successful. If, for example, they know that you work for a certain company, they could send an email with something related to the objective that you open it.
reach third parties
Through your e-mail address they could also reach third parties. They could use your name to search social networks, as we have mentioned. But another method they use is simply impersonate your identity through another newly created address. If you’re using a certain address for work, for example, an attacker could create a similar one and contact someone from that company.
They could even use a method or trick that consists of talking to third parties saying that you are no longer going to use the old address and that you will now use that one. It is possible that they do not distrust and believe that it is really you. If the attacker sends an email with a file in the future, they could click and open it and thus infect the system.
In short, as you can see, they can use your email against you and even reach third parties. It is important that you take measures, such as avoiding the address being exposed, always keeping common sense and using a good antivirus to avoid problems with possible malware.
