What is a Phishing Email
Email phishing is a cyber attack that tricks users into divulging their login credentials, bank details, and critical personal data. It mainly aims to extort money from your business through various means, including ransomware, blackmail, fake invoices, and fake approval for money transfers. A single attack could typically cost a mid-size company $1.6 million.
How to Spot a Phishing Email
Offers That Are Too Good to Be True
One of the indications of a phishing email is an eye-catching offer. It will prompt you to enter your personal details to claim a prize. Some messages will try to lure you in with the promise of a new phone or other irresistible items. So, once you type in your data, the attackers will use your information against you.
Time-Sensitive Offer
Another sign, of a phishing email, is an offer that you have to act on right away or within just a few minutes. There are even some messages that prompt you to update your login details to prevent your account from becoming disabled. The best course of action is to ignore such emails and avoid clicking on any links. Also, verify it by going directly to the primary source of the message.
Suspicious Hyperlinks
You can tell if there is a phishing link in an email by hovering your mouse over the hyperlinked text and inspecting the URL attached. Some links take you to a completely different site than what should be linked. Others have subtle spelling mistakes that could trick you into thinking that it’s the official website of a real company.
Suspicious Attachments
One of the signs of a phishing email is a suspicious file attached to an email. Do not open such files as they could contain ransomware or viruses. Be wary of random attachments that you are not expecting or are not relevant to the message.
How to Stop Email Phishing
Stopping phishing emails involves effort from both the users and the company. On the individual level, users need to know what a potential cyber attack looks like. On the other hand, businesses can take a few steps to prevent phishing attempts.
Two-factor Authentication (2FA)
Turning on the 2FA for account logins is the most effective move against phishing attacks. This adds an extra layer of verification for every login attempt, preventing employees from using credentials that have been compromised. Your 2FA could be a one-time password sent to your mobile phone, a login alert, or an answer to a security question that only you know. It’s simple, but it works.
Strict Password Rules
Companies need to implement strict policies on passwords. Some of these rules include changing your password every few months and not using the same password used in other accounts or applications. Another tip is to avoid selecting the option to save your password each time you log in to an account.
Increase Email Phishing Awareness Among Users
The most effective course of action to stop phishing emails is to provide your employees with proper phishing email training and testing. Without training, it is difficult for employees to tell the difference between a legitimate email and a phishing email. The unfortunate truth is that over ninety percent of cyberattacks start with phishing emails.
The Bottom Line
The number of phishing attacks on businesses increases each year, and smaller companies have become the primary target. With this in mind, prioritizing cyber-security for your Greater Houston business in a digital world has never been so critical. Because of human error, is one of the leading causes of data breaches, you must approach the problem with a two-prong solution: testing and training. Elevated Technologies provides both of these services to equip your business best. Contact us for a free quote or more information.
For more information on protecting your business from Cyber threats, check out our owner Jason Rorie’s book Small Business – A Hacker’s Playground: Cyber Security.
