A Refresher on Signs of a Phishing Attack

Did you know that phishing is the most common security risk to your business? Any of your employees could become the target of a phishing attack, and all it would take is downloading the wrong file or clicking on the wrong link to expose your organization to security threats. Listed below is a refresher on the throwaway signs of a phishing attack and how to protect yourself and your team from harm.

Understanding Phishing Attacks

First, you must understand a hacker's mindset utilizing a phishing scam.

Today's security solutions are powerful, and it’s becoming harder and harder for threats to brute force their way through the way they used to. Nowadays, phishing attacks are seen as a way to bypass the security of your business by targeting your weakest link: your employees. If your employees give them access unwittingly, they can save time, energy, and money, which can go toward conducting more advanced, targeted attacks.

Naturally, it doesn’t help that phishing attacks can be blanket-sent to countless individuals; I guess even hackers aim to optimize their return on investment.

A Phishing Attack in Action

Let’s say you get an email from one of your vendors and attached to that email is an invoice.

A quick look at the email tells you that the branding is all there, and you do remember an upcoming payment for this particular company. Not thinking twice, you download the attachment, which triggers a chain reaction. Suddenly, your device is infected with malware—or worse, nothing happens, and a backdoor gets installed on your device, allowing hackers to steal data without you even knowing.

These hackers are getting more creative by the day, and even the best employees can fall for a phishing attack when it’s presented under the right conditions.

The Throwaway Signs of a Phishing Attack

To help you and your team identify phishing attacks, we’ve put together a short list of common signs you can look for:

• The message has poor spelling and grammar: Most attacks originate from somewhere outside the United States.
• An odd or uncharacteristic sense of urgency: If you need to do something right now, it’s probably a scam.
• Unsolicited attachments from unknown senders: Never download a file without first scanning it for viruses; direct it to IT for a safety check.
• Unrecognized email addresses: Check the sender to guarantee their identity, or follow up with a secondary contact like a phone number.
• Something just seems too good to be true: Sorry, we really don’t think you won the lottery or that brand-new car. Now, put your credit card away.

Phishing Can Be Prevented

The biggest way to keep your business safe is to keep phishing messages out of your inbox and to train your users. You can do this with a Unified Threat Management tool from Macro Systems and some targeted security training. Call us today at 703-359-9211 to learn more.