Phishing scams are quite commonplace and may take many forms. Since thousands of individuals fall for them every year, they provide hackers with a very profitable attack vector. While phishing scams are sadly common, you may protect yourself from becoming a victim by learning the telltale signs of a phishing email and taking preventative measures.
Learn to recognise the tells of a phishing scam.
Although phishing assaults are continually adapting, they always have common traits that make them easier to recognise if the victim is aware of what warning signs to look for. Numerous online resources can keep you abreast of the latest phishing attacks and the telltale signs to look out for. You have a better chance of stopping a real attack if you keep up with the latest hacking methods and disseminate that knowledge to your users via regular security awareness training.
Do not, under any circumstances, visit that link.
If you receive an email or instant message from someone you know, you should still exercise caution before clicking on any attachments or links included within the message. At the very least, you should spend some time inspecting the link to make sure it leads to the desired location. The destination URL in certain sophisticated phishing schemes may seem identical to the legitimate website’s. These scams target sensitive information like login credentials and payment details by redirecting users to websites that seem similar to the genuine article. You shouldn’t click the link unless it would take you longer to use your search engine to go to the site. Nonetheless, if this is the case, you should follow the link. Choosing phishing incident response is essential here.
To avoid becoming a victim of phishing, download the free add-ons available.
The great majority of modern web browsers have plug-ins available that may help you spot signs of a malicious website and present you with warnings when visiting often targeted phishing domains. There is no justification for any of your company’s devices not having this installed on it, given they are nearly always freely accessible.
Don’t give out sensitive information on an unsecured website.
You should never enter sensitive information or download files from a website unless the address bar begins with “https” and a closed padlock icon appears to the left of the address bar. This means that there is no encrypted link between your browser and the website. Websites without security certificates may not be designed to conduct phishing schemes, but it is better to be safe than sorry.
Make regular password changes.
If you use the same password for many online accounts, you should make it a habit to change them at regular intervals. This will limit an attacker’s ability to access your network and its contents. There’s always the chance that your accounts have been compromised without your awareness; changing your passwords often may prevent additional intrusions.
Be sure to check for any new information!
It’s understandable to want to put off or even entirely disregard the multitude of update alerts you may get. This is not acceptable behaviour. The primary reason for releasing patches and upgrades is to close security loopholes that have been found to be exploited in recent cyberattacks. If you don’t update your browser, you might fall prey to phishing schemes that take use of security holes you could have avoided.
