What Is Phishing and How to Prevent a Phishing Attack
Some people are not familiar with the official term “phishing” but have experienced it in one form or the other. It is a type of cyber attack in which the hackers send a random email to many people. They make it look very important, professional and legitimate.
Through this email, they trick people and get their sensitive information like account details, passwords and bio-data. According to research, phishing attacks occur mostly in the finance industry. A breakdown of phishing attacks in the first quarter of 2021 can be seen below.
Tech giants like Google and Facebook have also been under a major phishing attack worth $100 million. This shows how vulnerable you are on the internet.
By far the most common email threat, phishing attacks are emails sent to you from a malicious source that appears to be legitimate. These emails often contain links or attachments that can install malware on your computer if clicked.
- Business Email Compromise (BEC): BEC scams involve attackers impersonating an employee within a company in order to gain access to sensitive data or money from the business.
5 Steps to Prevent a Phishing Attack
- NEVER Open Unknown Emails and Text Messages
As a general rule of thumb, be cautious about opening unknown emails or text messages. Never open emails that are labelled Urgent, Important, Need Help. If a person needs your help, they have other ways to contact you.
- Check URL’s
Don’t click on a URL directly. Always hover over it for a while and see if the URL looks legitimate or not.
- Anti-Virus
Install and keep your anti-virus updated to avoid a phishing attack.
- Training
For companies, keep your employees up-to-date about the latest phishing techniques used by hackers.
- Switch on Two-Factor Authentication
In case your credentials have been compromised, having two-factor authentication can stop hackers from using your account.
Conclusion
As you can see, phishing is still a problem in the online world. A few simple steps can help you avoid a phishing attack. Stay alert, Stay safe!
References
https://purplesec.us/resources/cyber-security-statistics/
https://www.f5.com/labs/articles/education/what-is-phishing–how-to-recognize-and-avoid-it
Cybesion is a Managed IT Security Service Provider, namely providing business grade cyber security protection.
