Phishing scams can be known as malware’s favorite vector. In layman’s terms they are one of the oldest tricks in the book. The biggest threat to your entity is assuming that your team and current IT infrastructure are equipped with the expertise to scan, spot and remove these threats from your company’s ecosystem.
Sometimes not biting at the bait laid out by phishing attacks is hard, shocking stats reveal that 76 percent of businesses have reported being a victim of a phishing attack in the last year, and 30% of all phishing emails make it past IT security with 1 in every 99 emails being a phishing attack.
In order to protect your entity from a phishing attack consider these few steps:
- Spot the bait: What does a phishing attack look like?
Make your teams aware of how to spot a well disguised phishing attack. Education between all teams within an organization is imperative in order to remain protected. Phishing can come from many sources and take multiple different forms, much like the terms suggests it’s attack is crafted around putting out attractive bait for the targeted, making the attacks sometimes tricky to spot.
When facing a potential attack, it’s important to recognize what they look like. Phishing can appear in places beyond your inbox; look out for it in your text messages, phone calls and 3rd party communication apps like Whatsapp. Once your organization is aware where phishing can come from, half the equation is solved. It’s critical to understand also that the bait set out is designed to be desirable and look credible. Phishing attacks take many forms, all of which can appear credible. A meeting invite from your boss, a prompt to reset your email password, or a link to a presentation from someone within the organization. They are disguised as normal, everyday functions in order to increase the likelihood of clicking through and divulging confidential information. With teams working remotely, providing insight and education could be the most effective first line defence in protecting your organization.
- Know the risks:
Every phishing attack has two goals in mind. First, steal personal information: when you receive a phishing attack, clicking through will prompt you to enter information that will immediately affect you. It can grant entry into your network, steal your personal information, contact list or even be the first step in full blown identity theft.
Second, and more common in an organization is for the link to trigger malware. Once you click through, it will disperse malware like ransomware and other harmful threats that can transcend throughout your whole organization and negatively affect privacy and security.
- What can you do about it?
Beyond making everyone aware in the organization, it’s important to understand how important your IT frontline is and how easy it is to be a victim of phishing. To ensure that no stone is left unturned, consider recruiting a full-service outsourced IT firm. Fencecore provides 24×7 system administration, monitoring and alerts, patch management and helpdesk support through dedicated managed services. Our team of experts have extensive experience helping businesses thrive when facing potential threats.