Phishing
A scam in which attackers use fake email, SMS, or calls to trick victims into handing over passwords, card numbers, or other sensitive data.
Phishing is the attempt to obtain sensitive data through fake messages (email, SMS, call, QR code). Common lures: locked bank accounts, fake parcel deliveries, forged tax notices. By 2026 many phishing emails are linguistically flawless thanks to AI.
Protection
- Antivirus suite with web filter (e.g. Bitdefender, Norton)
- Keep browser warnings on
- When in doubt: go to the source directly, never click links
Why this matters in 2026
Phishing is the most common entry point for cyber attacks in Switzerland in 2026. NCSC reports new waves weekly – with generative AI, many emails are nearly indistinguishable from legitimate messages. Voice cloning in CEO fraud and QR-code phishing ("quishing") at parking meters extend the attack surface to non-digital touchpoints.
How to protect yourself
First: keep browser warnings on and use an antivirus suite with a web filter (Bitdefender, Norton, Kaspersky reliably block known phishing domains). Second: never click links in unexpected emails – navigate to the source directly. Third: enable 2FA on every important account (email, banking, cloud) – then a stolen password alone is worthless.