Phishing is the #1 Cause of Cyber Incidents
For many businesses, the data breach is a huge disaster. The leading cause of data breaches is phishing. Criminal hackers are relying more and more on spear phishing. To combat data breaches, phishing prevention has become essential.
Everyone knows one has to dodge spam emails, but scammers have changed the way in which these emails look.
Across the internet, phishing attacks have enticed various unsuspecting victims into sharing their personal information like passwords, bank information, etc. Very often, these scams hide behind the curtain whom you can trust.
As today we dive into how phishing can cause data breaches and how you can use some phishing attack prevention tips.
Why is phishing the number one cause of data breaches?
One of the first things cyber experts have noticed is that phishing is the fifth most common cause of security incidents. Due to phishing, more and more security incidents like Denial-of-service attacks, data loss, and C2.
But when it comes to data breaches, phishing is the number one reason behind it. The latest cyber attack trend in the UK showcases that the majority of data breaches start with phishing attacks. According to security consulting firm CybSafe, 1000–45.5% of attacks were initiated by phishing attacks.
COVID-19 pandemic has made things worse as phishing attacks have increased by a whopping number of 600%. Phishing can be the number one cause of data leaks because it is easy to manipulate people to become victims by sending photos, links, and spammed emails.
Who is at risk of phishing attacks?
Phishing can affect people of any age regardless of work and their personal life. Everyone using internet devices is at risk of falling victim to phishing attacks. If a cybercriminal can find your contact information, they can use it for phishing. Therefore keep your phone number, online messaging IDs, email address, social media accounts safe. So there is a good chance that having all these things makes you a target.
Types of phishing attacks
The first step to avoiding phishing attacks is to know what to expect from phishing. We are going to mention some of the most common phishing attacks.
- Domain spoofing
It is one of the most popular ways to manipulate people. All it takes to manipulate innocent people is to mimic a valid email ID and modify it.
2. Phishing email
Such emails always appear in your email inbox and usually request you to follow the link, send the payments, or share your personal ID.
3. Social media phishing
It involves criminals using your post or message directly to entice you to fall into the trap. Some spam will be like giving away free stuff, and some might impersonate your friends to build a relationship with you before attacking.
4. Clone phishing
It duplicates the real messages that were sent previously with legitimate attachments or links that can be replaced with malicious ones. This may appear in the email but may also show up in other forms like fake social media accounts or text messages.
5. SMS Phishing
In this type, the message will imitate a scheme from a valid organization by using the urgency to short text messages to fool you. In such messages, you will usually find a link that will make you fall prey to phishing.
How to prevent phishing attacks?
Phishing attacks are one of the most common methods of attack that you are more likely to come across. Fortunately, due to their complex nature, phishing scams are avoidable, and you can prevent them by following a few anti-phishing solution tips.
- Know what phishing scams look like
New phishing attack methods are developed all the time to manipulate innocent people; therefore, it is crucial to identify them. There are many online sites that will keep you informed about the latest phishing attacks and how you can locate them. The earlier you get to know about them, the easier it becomes to find out about the latest attack methods. Therefore, it is imperative to spread awareness through security awareness training.
- Use an anti-phishing solution software
You can use the anti-phishing solution software to spot the early signs of malicious activities and alert you about the phishing sites.
- Don’t share your information everywhere
If you can’t see an ‘https’ in the URL of the website, then think twice before clicking on the site. Also, refrain from sharing your personal information or uploading and downloading the files from the site. The websites without any security certificates can make you fall prey to phishing scams.
- Don’t ignore the updates
Receiving the numerous update notifications can be a frustrating task, and ignoring them altogether can put you off. Security patches and updates are released for a reason, and it is essential to keep your security models up-to-date by using modern cyber-attacks models by patching holes. If you don’t update your browser, then you are creating vulnerabilities and inviting phishing attacks.
- Change passwords on the regular basis
If you have got accounts on online platforms, then you should get in the habit of regularly changing the passwords to prevent cybercriminals from gaining access. One of the best ways for successful phishing attack prevention is to add this extra layer of protection through password rotation.
- Don’t fall for the pop-ups
Pop-ups are not just for irritating you, but sometimes they are linked to malware as a part of an attempted phishing attack. Most browsers allow you to download and install free ad-blocking software that will automatically block most of the malicious pop-ups. However, sometimes such pop-ups will try to deceive you with the ‘close’ button; therefore, always try to click on the ‘x’s in the corner.
Final Verdict
Most organizations can successfully do phishing prevention as they are investing in phishing attack prevention software. Anti-phishing solutions will empower your last line of defense. By using such solutions, innocent people can avoid cyber attacks. However, phishing isn’t going anywhere; therefore, it is high time to alter your security charges to make sure phishing doesn’t affect your business.
