How can organizations prevent Phishing attacks?
“Your password will expire in few days — please click the link to update it”- It’s quite common nowadays to get these sort of fraudulent email’s and messages. But did you ever know this sort of malicious activity is called Phishing Attack?
Phishing attacks are cyber threats that organizations can’t help but have to deal with it very cautiously. In 2018, 83% of people received Phishing attacks worldwide. As said understanding and knowing how to prevent Phishing attacks are very condemnatory and not many people are fully aware of these.
Phishing attacks are the practice of sending fraudulent communication that appears to come from a reputable source. It is usually done through email. Phishing starts with fraudulent mail or other communication that is designed to lure a victim. The message is made to look as though it comes from a trusted sender which isn’t the case. If it fools the victim, the person is coaxed into provides confidential information, often on a scam website. The goal is to steal sensitive data like credit card and login information or they will ask you to install malware on your system. In other terms, it occurs when an attacker, facades as a trusted entity dupes a victim into opening an email, instant message or text messages.
An attack can have devastating results. For individuals, this includes unauthorized purchases, the stealing of funds or identity theft and for organizations capitulation to such an attack sustains severe financial losses in addition to declining market share, reputation and consumer trust.
To understand more vehemently, one needs to know the types of Phishing attacks an individual or organization may experience.
· Email Phishing- This is very common as most Phishing attacks are sent by email. The hacker will register a fake domain that mimics a genuine organization and sends thousands of generic mail requests to people. One should always check the email address of a message that asks you to click a link.
· Spear Phishing- Here the hacker will have some sort of information about the victim which may include his name, job title, place of employment, job role and email address. The attacker sends emails containing malicious links to more than 1000 email address.
· Smishing and Vishing- Telephonic calls replace emails as the method of communication. It involves criminals sending text messages and vishing involves telephonic conversation. A vishing scam involves a criminal asking about your bank details and OTP to verify and secure your account.
· Whaling- They are even more targeted as they mostly target high ranking officials in an organization. Scams including bogus tax returns are increasingly been used by using their names, social security numbers and bank account details.
· Angler Phishing- It is a new attack vector, social media sites help criminals and acts as a medium to trick people. Fake URL’s and websites are used to scam people and persuade people to download malware.
How organizations can prevent Phishing attacks?
· Do not share your passwords- keeping a strong password really helps and significantly downplays the risk of others accessing your accounts. Use a good password manager with 2nd factor authentication.
Byteseal’s password manager takes the password management one step further and provides you with a dedicated Personal Authentication Device which you can carry anywhere with you. You can use the Personal Authentication Device for securely logging into your work-related or personal web and mobile applications. You do not have to remember any of the passwords, thus you can set up tough and unique passwords for each of your accounts.
Further, the Byteseal’s Password Manager matches the URL loaded in the browser with that of actual website which eliminates the risk of phishing through similar looking URLs.
You can learn more about Byteseal’s password manager and Personal Authentication Device at www.byteseal.co
· Never visit your bank’s website using links in emails- Don’t open links to any of your bank accounts or payment applications that come via email. Always access your bank’s site via a secure web browser to guarantee your information is safe.
· Be cautious of malware of pop-up notifications- Phishers will attempt to get users to enter their personal information on pop- up menus to disguise their attack. If you get this via email, it surely is a scam.
· Always think before you click- The best way to stay safe from Phishing attacks is to always be cautious and never click on links you get through suspicious messages. If you feel uneasy about an emails link it’s best to not open the link.
· Increase email security- This is the most basic self-defence you can ensure against Phishing such as virus scanners to check email links that block blacklisted emails.
· Implement verification policies- When an employee receives an email or text asking them to approve a fund or to transfer a fund they should first check that with their CEO or other senior officers, denying which should result in a security breach.
· Creating a Phishing awareness program- Awareness practice programs are knowledgeable and helpful at the same time as they can help and aware employees about these commonly used attacks.
It is common that companies yet fall prey to these attacks because of careless and naïve internet browsing. Implementing policies, educating employees and training them should be a part of their orientation program. Two-factor authentication should be deployed to prevent hackers who have compromised a user’s credentials. Only then an organization can claim to be secured from these malicious practices.
