Padlocked

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    Common Cyberattacks: Phishing

    What is Phishing?
    Phishing is the act of cybercriminals tricking people into believing that legitimate companies or individuals have contacted them, catching unsuspecting victims off-guard and asking them to carry out a particular act, involving the likes of selecting malicious links and installing harmful files to acquire sensitive information, typically personal details or money. This is one of the most common cyberattacks to fall victim to, and are usually people that no very little about cybersecurity, the signs of phishing scams, and vulnerable people such as the elderly are more likely to become a victim to these hacks.

    The Forms of Phishing

    There are several versions of phishing attacks, which include the following:

    • Email Phishing: The most common form of phishing. It involves a deceptive email that makes hackers appear as legitimate companies, such as banks or the government, in an attempt to steal sensitive information like passwords or credit card details.
    • Spear-Phishing: This form of phishing seeks out individuals that have what they want, ranging from levels of access within companies, or information only a single person would have.
    • Whaling: Scams specifically targeting high-level personnel like CEOs and CFOs in a company. Phishing attacks like this are less frequent, but easily the most damaging for companies as it can ruin an entire company by gaining access to the highest positions.


    Identifying and Mitigating Phishing

    To identify phishing attacks, things such as requests for personal information, threats of consequences, generic greetings such as with “Dear User”, errors with spelling and grammar, and suspicious links are examples from these kinds of attacks. To mitigate these attacks, training employees, having the latest updates on software installed, and having strong email security can help prevent these attacks from reaching later stages.