Phishing Attacks Are Way Up - Here's What To Do About It

Did you know that 121 emails are sent and received every day by the average office worker?

Although that may seem like a lot, the real staggering statistic is that 3 billion phishing emails are sent each day. 

So what is a phishing email? A phishing email is an email that is sent by cyber criminals in order to steal your information. They can pretend to be from places you know and use, such as your bank, Amazon or a delivery company. 

The cyber criminals are trying to get you to click on a bad link that may be harmful. They might want to install malware on your computer or get you to log into a fake website, giving away all your log in information. 

Your team should be aware of the warning signs of phishing emails and be sure to report any that they receive to your IT provider. This way, they can protect themselves and your business from becoming a victim.

New research has found that PayPal was the most spoofed business in all financial phishing emails in 2021. It accounted for 37.8% of attacks. Criminals pretend to be this online giant because it has 392 million active users. Closely behind PayPal were Mastercard and American Express, which made up 12.2% and 10% of cyber attacks respectively. 

With a quick glance, a typical phishing email looks like it has come from a real business. Once opened the phishing email will ask the recipient to update their details or check for unauthorized activity. Many people worry that their account may have been breached, which can lead to them being more likely to let hackers into their accounts. Ironic, isn’t it?

Phishing emails are bad for anyone personally but they can also affect a whole business. Hackers can exploit any business account if they gain access, which can lead to a data breach. This is bad for businesses and their customers, but it's especially harmful to the businesses themselves since this type of attack can result in lost revenue.

You need to educate your team on the warning signs to look out for so they can avoid potential danger. This will help protect them personally and your business too. 

Firstly, if you're being asked to click a link, be sure to hover your mouse over the link and look at the URL. If it looks suspicious or the business name is spelt incorrectly, don't click it!

Always check the email address that the email has come from. Is the email address from a business that you recognize? Does the email address look strange?

Be sure to look closely at the content of any email you receive, as scammers often make mistakes with grammar and may not address you by name. The layout of the email might also be different from a genuine message from that company.

Lastly, make sure you trust your gut. If you feel like something is not quite right, don't ignore that nagging feeling and call your IT team immediately!

Are you confident that your employees are aware of the dangers of clicking on unsolicited links? Do you think your team would be able to spot a scam email? 

Until next time, keep fit and have fun!