Many business leaders have heard of phishing. Many even understand that it’s a serious danger to business and personal security. However, many otherwise savvy leaders still don’t understand how phishing works.
Without properly understanding the threat, business leaders will be unable to adequately defend themselves and their businesses from phishing. After all, you cannot defeat an opponent, overcome an obstacle, or eliminate a threat unless you fully know and understand it.
It’s time for you to understand the facts on phishing – so you can learn how to fight it. Get the white paper and get access to the latest facts, stats, and explanations on the modern techniques to this age-old problem.
What Is Phishing?
Phishing attacks are a form of social engineering, which is the act of deceiving someone, or taking advantage of their trust, in order to convince them to willingly hand over sensitive information. In other words, phishing is a con.
To be more exact, “phishing” is a fraudulent cybercrime where the criminal attempts to steal sensitive data through emails, telephone calls, or text messages. This data is given up by a victim who believes they’re dealing with a legitimate and reputable institution, company, or government official.
“Spear phishing” is a highly specific type of attack that crafts a personalized message meant to appeal to a certain individual, using researched information that directly relates to the target (in a con, this person would be known as the “mark”). Spear phishing, like all phishing, convinces the victim to click a link, download a file, or provide additional sensitive data that the cybercriminal can use in a later attack.
What Data Does a Cybercriminal Want?
Typically, the information targeted in these types of cyberattacks include:
- Usernames and passwords
- Confidential company information
- Medical records or insurance information
- Financial data
- Personally identifiable information (PII)
These attacks imitate and impersonate highly recognized and respected sources – and their increasing sophistication means they’re getting a lot harder to spot.
Considering that cybercriminals also use emotional triggers and urgent requests to create a “kneejerk” immediate reaction in their intended victims, it’s likely that your employees won’t question a fraudulent interaction until it’s too late.
Protect Yourself and Your Company
If you’re ready to defend your company’s cybersecurity, your first step should be to understand all you can about what phishing is, what it looks like, and how you can stop it.
In the space of this article, we were able to give you some basic information about phishing, but in order to effectively protect yourself, you need to know more. Learn what to look out for and what the modern trends and technologies are, so you and your team can stay protected.
Download the white paper, “Phishing: A Modern Guide to an Age-Old Problem,” and learn how you can protect yourself, your company, and your data.
