Protecting Against Phishing Attacks

17 Apr Protecting Against Phishing Attacks

Phishing is a common form of cyber attack that takes advantage of people rather than technology. This kind of attack — known as a social engineering attack — preys upon those who are less aware, with the intention of gaining credentials or access to be able to wreak havoc on a business.

However, phishing is very easy to counter. This is because being aware of the different types of attacks you’ll face and how to be vigilant for them is the best way to stop them. That’s why in this article, we’re going to tell you everything you need to know about phishing. From common techniques to how to protect yourself, we’ll make sure you’re prepared against these common threats.

Common Phishing Techniques

Email Phishing

Email phishing is one of the most common kinds of phishing attacks you’ll encounter. Essentially, email phishing is when an attacker attempts to gain credentials by sending an email that appears to be legitimate, usually through an attempt to look like official communications of some kind to try to catch anyone who doesn’t notice.

These emails will be forged to look like they’ve come from an official source, meaning that they’ll have official looking layouts, logos, addresses, and even sometimes hyperlinks. Then, they’ll usually link to a fake looking login portal, which a successful victim would enter details into that would be handed straight to the attacker.

Spear Phishing

A spam filter usually filters out a lot of the basic level phishing emails. But a targeted, well crafted phishing email can infiltrate, and can be very difficult to spot at a first glance. And, you especially don’t want to be a victim of an attack from someone who’s targeted your organisation.

Spear phishing is especially dangerous as the attack will be tailored to your business, which means that someone may be able to take advantage of specific details or processes within your business that would otherwise be safeguards against phishing attacks. Also, spear phishing can often target specific people within your organisation, who may be more vulnerable to falling for them.

Whaling

Whaling is a form of spear phishing that specifically targets people higher up in an organisation’s hierarchy. The aim of whaling is to gain access to a lot of sensitive information or money, and so these attacks usually go to the top of the ladder. This means they are much more sophisticated.

These attacks usually appear as a fake email from someone higher up in the hierarchy, such as a CEO, asking for something such as a money transfer using a deceptive link for the transfer.

Smishing

An SMS phishing (or ‘smishing’) attack is similar to an email cyberattack, but occurs over SMS. Much like a phishing email, a smishing text will often have a fraudulent link to click on. These can be dangerous as it can be far easier to trick someone with a text, due to how simple they are.

Vishing

Voice phishing (or ‘vishing’) is the use of phone calls and voice messages to try to obtain sensitive information or credentials. This is usually by pretending to be a trusted individual, and once again to gain credentials or money.

While vishing is less common towards businesses, it’s still important to be vigilant about any suspicious phone calls you may receive.

The Impact of Phishing

Phishing attacks are massively impactful on businesses. They are an attack that’s both easy to deploy while also being effective, if an attacker is tactical enough and an organisation is unprepared enough. It’s easy to brush off phishing attacks as unserious, but ignoring them is exactly what an attacker wants you to do.

It’s not just theoretical, either. Companies have lost millions because of these attacks, and some of them have even failed to survive for years afterwards. A phishing attack can cripple your company, which is why it’s so important to protect yourself.

How To Protect Against Phishing Attacks

Implement an AI-powered Email Security Solution

Artificial intelligence is a key tool in the fight against cybercriminals. With the ability to be able to cut out attacks that may go unnoticed by the human eye, using AI to protect your inbox is a smart way to protect yourself and rest assured that you or your employees will never have to even be in the position of detecting a possible phishing attack.

Robust AI security solutions such as Mimecast are shaping the way companies respond to attacks, by giving them AI detection tools with capabilities like we’ve never seen before. Because of Mimecast, technologies like advanced QR Code defense and top of the line malware protection are making it virtually impossible for attackers to even get through to businesses.

Employee Training and Awareness

Phishing aims to target those who are unaware of their signs, and so one of the most important ways to counter a phishing attack is to ensure that everyone in your business understands what a phishing attack is, and how they can spot one.

Regular employee training and teaching will make sure everyone is reminded of their importance, and will give everyone the information they need to protect themselves — and protect your organisation.

Running Phishing Simulation Tests

Phishing simulation tests are a great way to augment employee training and awareness. By simulating real life scenarios, you can help your employees understand how a phishing attack would actually appear in a real scenario.

With this, you can get an idea of who in your business might need extra support and training, and reward those who are good ambassadors in helping others understand and learn.

How We Can Help

Phishing is a very serious and real threat to any business, and shouldn’t be ignored. However, AI is turning the tide against attackers, and you should take the step to ensure your employees are protected against any phishing attack that might come their way.

If you want to take the first step towards protecting your business against attackers, reach out to us today. We’ll make sure that you have everything you need to be able to strengthen your organisation, with a helping hand every step of the way.

Contact us now and see how we can help.