Phishing is one of the newest and most dangerous online threats that have pervaded businesses and private accounts in recent years. Reports show that phishing attacks this year are 70% higher than the total number of attacks reported last year.

A Brief Explanation of Phishing

What is phishing, anyway? How does it work, and why is it so dangerous for businesses? Phishing is a kind of cybercrime where a hacker essentially poses as a legitimate entity. They will send emails or forms to unsuspecting individuals, hoping to lure these potential victims into providing confidential information. The hackers usually aim to get credit card numbers, usernames and passwords, social security details, and banking info. Many will also create fake websites so that if someone clicks on their links, they will seem like genuine links.

Phishing scams have improved considerably over the years, and today, most victims are not even aware that a virus has infiltrated them until the damage starts.

Different Styles of Phishing

In the beginning, phishing happened through emails, but recently, hackers have expanded their channels and are now attacking from more diverse angles. There are three main types of phishing used today. As a business owner, learn about these attacks to protect your company accordingly.

Spear Phishing

This threat is the most common type of phishing used today because it is very effective. Reports show that over 90% of phishing attacks are of this nature. The attack aims at specific targets, and the hackers have prepared for it beforehand by gathering information about the target to make their snare more convincing.

Clone Phishing

This type of phishing involves cloning or duplicating legitimate emails that the recipient has already received and turning them into system infiltration tools. The hackers copy the original emails, subtly replacing the valid URLs with malicious links. They also use a recipient’s email address similar to the original so that the entire email looks legit. They will then send this fake email to the targets in the guise of being a resend or an updated version of the previous email.

Whaling

Hackers target these phishing scams at executives or high management of a company, not just any random employee. Hence, the term “whaling” as it targets the “big fish” of the business. The tone and content of these phishing emails are also very different. To blend in with other emails, they take the form of customer complaints, top-level office matters, or even subpoenas. They come with the illusion of urgency, so the executives who receive them feel compelled to click on the link as instructed, which is a malicious link.

Protect Your Business through Employee Training

Your protection against phishing threats depends on your employees’ knowledge of these threats. If your employees are careless about clicking links, you might as well hand your data to hackers. The simple solution is to train your employees. Teach them how to identify a phishing scam. Equip them with the skills to handle an attack.

If you don’t know how to do it, don’t worry because we can do it for you as part of the service we provide to you. Aside from in-depth employee training, we can also run a phishing test on your company to test your security. Start your new Employee Training today, and have everyone in your office watch our Free Cybersecurity Webinar.

Don’t leave your business unprotected in these times of rampant online threats. Call us today, and we will boost your defenses against phishing and other online threats!

For business communication security, employee awareness is your first line of defense. The more your staff know about the risks, the better prepared they are to deal with potential attacks and the safer your business will be. Unfortunately, recent studies have shown that more than half of employees today lack training in online security. For a business owner like yourself, this can be a frightening idea. Such a lack of awareness and training poses a grave danger to your business should you become the target of an online attack.

Check Your Employees’ Level of Awareness

But don’t fret just yet. Maybe your staff knows more about online safety than typical employees. To find out where their security knowledge is, have them take this Employee Readiness Check offered by us. This quiz that we have created will gauge how prepared employees are if a cyberattack happens. If they pass with flying colors, then good for you! Your business has a strong defense against online attacks!

Sadly, it is more likely that they will score lower than you expect. The statistics don’t lie. The quiz will show that most employees cannot identify a phishing email if it hits them in the face!

Train Your Employees on Recognizing a Phishing Threat

Phishing is an online threat to communication security. Hackers attempt to steal data by posing as legitimate entities. The concept sounds too simplistic to work, but it would surprise you how effective it is at tricking unsuspecting employees. With a successful phishing attack, cybercriminals can gather sensitive information like your bank details, client databases, and passwords.

To help prevent phishing attacks from succeeding, you must train your employees to practice caution and take the following steps when using the company’s communication system.

Examine email addresses.

Phishing addresses look like the real deal, but to be proactive with your employee awareness pay close attention. What should have been a “.com” might be a “.co”.

Hover over the links to verify.

For better employee awareness, before clicking on any link sent through email, texts, or social messaging, hover over it to see the URL. If it is not something that looks familiar, it is better to not click than risk the danger.

Check for errors in spelling and grammar.

These are common telltale signs of a phishing email. Official correspondence from reputable entities gets proofread and spell-checked before being sent out. Messages rife with mistakes are most likely the work of hackers trying to get into your system.

Ignore emails that ask for passwords.

Be aware that a trusted company will not request your password or other personal information through email messages. If you get a message that asks for such, it is best to ignore or block it.

With the volume of emails that employees receive daily, plus all the other tasks they must do in the workplace. It is easy to become complacent with communication security which is why employee awareness plays a vital role in your company. Hence, you must train your employees regularly and give them pop quizzes from time to time by sending them harmless “phishing emails” to see if they can deal with these kinds of threats properly.

Our team provides top-quality employee training for communication security and online safety. Don’t leave your company’s safety to chance. Call us today! We will help build a strong line of defense to protect your business from losing data.

There is a Compliance Checklist for download, that will help you create a rich work culture in your office that will allow you to prepare your team for the future!

Digital technology has advanced dramatically over the years, and today we get to communicate in ways that were unheard of before. From simple emailing for work and chatting with friends across the globe to high-speed real-time videoconferencing and accessing massive amounts of information within seconds, we have come a long way. When was it time to consider worrying about communication security?

But together with these improvements, new communication risks have also emerged. Hackers have also used technology to hone their craft, and businesses need to find effective ways to thwart these risks and stay protected online.

Longer Online Time

The longer time spent online equates to more cybersecurity risks for all of us. Technology has rapidly become a major part of our lives. People are spending more and more time on technology and communications software. Hence, the risks posed to our security are naturally growing. A natural solution would be to reduce online time, but this is impossible because most of our lives are now online. What we can do instead is to practice efficient security measures so that no threats can penetrate our systems if we are online 24 hours a day.

Fake Messages

This trick is the most prevalent communication security risk facing the world today. This scam has become quite common, especially with the rise in the popularity of online shopping. A common trick by hackers is to send fake messages regarding deliveries that did not arrive, with a link that will supposedly let you ‘reschedule’ your order. Instead, these bogus links take you directly to malicious websites that can harm your computer system.

Some of these fake messages merely request that you pay a small amount of money, which seems nothing more than an inconvenience. However, an increasing number of scams collect your data and credit card details, leading to a substantial loss of money. That being the case, these fake delivery messages pose a risk and are huge threats.

Email Attachment Scams

Another rampant security risk that people know about that has to do with communication comes from emails. Hackers are getting more skillful and innovative with their phishing tactics. They send emails designed to trick the receiver into thinking they come from legitimate senders, encouraging them to click on the included link. But what looks like a harmless site might contain malware or phishing software that would inadvertently be downloaded onto your device, causing damage to your computer system.

Social Media

Hacked social accounts are also becoming a massive problem in the online world. If you receive a suspicious message from a social media contact, particularly one that contains links to external videos or websites, don’t click on it. The chance is that it will lead to the infection of your device with dangerous security software.

Protective Measures against Communication Security Risks

As a business owner, it is your responsibility to keep the communication channels of your business secure. Fortunately, there are many ways to do this. It’s best to start with evaluating your current communication system and checking if it is safe from online threats. You should also use a trusted encryption method to protect your messages and everything that makes up your communication system. Depending on your level of protection, you might need to overhaul your entire security infrastructure.

It is wise to entrust these steps to a managed services provider you can trust. In the meantime, you can train your employees on communication security. We can help with that as well. We can improve your cybersecurity, as you can read in our Compliance Checklist, we can provide you everything you need to advance your business in many different ways. To start boosting your communication security right away, Call us today.