What is Phishing?
Phishing is a cybercrime where attackers impersonate legitimate entities via email, phone, or text to steal sensitive data. This data includes personally identifiable information (PII), banking details, and passwords. The goal is to gain access to your accounts and cause identity theft or financial loss.
The first phishing lawsuit was filed in 2004, highlighting the early emergence of this threat. Since then, phishing has evolved, with variations such as 'vishing' (voice phishing) and 'smishing' (SMS phishing) constantly being developed by cybercriminals.
Common Phishing Techniques
Cybercriminals employ various tactics to deceive victims. These include:
• Too Good To Be True Offers: Luring victims with attractive offers like prize winnings.
• Sense of Urgency: Creating pressure with deadlines or threats of account suspension.
• Suspicious Hyperlinks: Using deceptive URLs that lead to malicious websites.
• Deceptive Attachments: Embedding malware in unexpected attachments.
• Unfamiliar Senders: Impersonating known contacts or using unknown sender addresses. Be wary of anything unusual or out of character.
Preventing Phishing Attacks
Protect yourself and your organization with these strategies:
• Use Spam Filters: Implement spam filters to filter suspicious emails.
• Secure Browser Settings: Configure browser settings to block fraudulent websites.
• Verify Websites: Always verify website security before entering personal information.
• Regular Password Changes: Regularly change passwords and avoid reusing them across multiple accounts.
• Use CAPTCHAs: Employ CAPTCHA systems for added security.
• Monitor and Report: Banks and financial organizations utilize monitoring systems to prevent phishing. Report suspicious activity.
• Security Awareness Training: Train employees to recognize phishing risks.
• Change Browsing Habits: Exercise caution when clicking links in emails. Always contact the company personally to verify the request before entering your details. Hover over URLs to check the destination.
• SSL Certificates: Ensure secure websites start with 'https'.
“If something seems too good to be true, it probably is. Always err on the side of caution.
Security Expert
Enhance Your Knowledge
Explore additional resources and tools:
Social Engineering Red Flags
Download the KnowBe4 resource outlining red flags in phishing emails.
Free Phishing Security Test
Take a free test to see how vulnerable your organization is to phishing attacks.
Assess Your Phishing Risk
Use phishing security tests to gauge your organization's vulnerability. These tests simulate phishing attacks to identify how many users would fall for such scams. This is crucial for enhancing your security posture.
Key steps include:
• Initiating a test for up to 100 users.
• Selecting from multiple languages and customizing templates.
• Choosing landing pages and showing users their mistakes.
• Receiving a detailed report with your Phish-prone percentage.