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How to protect against spoofing attacks
How to protect against spoofing attacks
Rick Alexsson avatar
Written by Rick Alexsson
Updated over 10 months ago

Unfortunately, we’ve noticed an uptick in spoofing attacks targeting our product ecosystem. Read along as we explain what a spoofing attack is, and how to avoid becoming a victim.

What are spoofing attacks?

Related to phishing, spoofing attacks impersonate real URLs in an attempt to exploit user credentials. Bad actors will create fraudulent websites that resemble existing services to trick users into sharing their information. This can result in attackers gaining access to your accounts on the actual website they’re impersonating, as well as the theft of funds and personal information.

In this case, we’re noticing bad actors who create URLs that are made to look like CEX.IO services. Often, they’ll appear as ads in search results to blend in among our official offerings. The goal is that distracted users relying on muscle memory will go through the motions of their crypto journey without noticing the red flags. This can result in bad actors gaining access to your CEX.IO account, payment methods, and digital asset portfolio.

In short, clicking on one of these harmful links can put your data and/or wealth at risk.

To add an extra layer of protection, never reveal your credentials to a website before confirming its authenticity. If it looks suspicious, it probably is.

Signs of a potential spoofing attack:

  • Links that deviate from standard URL notation

  • Poor or unresponsive functionality

  • Unexpected responses and windows

  • Freezing or loss of connection

  • Errors in spelling, grammar, or syntax

  • Poor or shoddy design quality

These traits in any combination could help indicate you’re not visiting a true CEX.IO resource. Remember, it’s important to always stay vigilant in the crypto ecosystem.

If you feel that your account has been compromised, contact support@cex.io.

How to avoid attacks

To prevent becoming a victim, we strongly recommend that you bookmark our official CEX.IO services in your preferred browser. By establishing direct pathways to our product ecosystem, you can avoid clicking on harmful links that may be lurking in your search results.

Most web browsers include a Bookmarks drop-down menu along their toolbar. To bookmark a tab, simply navigate to the page you’d like to “remember”, and select the appropriate tab:

Safari

  1. Navigate to CEX.IO, or any of our other official channels.

  2. Select Bookmarks from the menu at the top of your browser, and scroll to Add Bookmark…

3. This will prompt you to bookmark the current page. Modify the text for how this will be displayed, then click ADD.

4. To view your bookmarks, return to the Bookmarks tab, and select the link you wish to visit.

Chrome

  1. Navigate to CEX.IO, or any of our other official channels.

  2. Select Bookmarks from the menu at the top of your browser, and scroll to Bookmark This Tab…

3. This will prompt you to bookmark the current page. Modify the text for how this bookmark will be displayed, then click Done.

4. To view your bookmarks, return to the Bookmarks tab, and select the link you wish to visit.

Below are a list of our services and the safest pathways to explore their offerings:

While the availability of these services will depend on the regulatory landscape in your jurisdiction, these are safest access points to start or continue your crypto journey.

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