There are all sorts of ways to communicate with work colleagues these days, including instant messaging, text messaging and more. Though the field has broadened, email still plays an important role in business communications. Hackers know this and email is one – but not the only – target of phishing attacks. We all need to know how to recognize phishing emails, so here’s a checklist.
About Phishing
Any attempt by online tricksters to dupe you into disclosing information (such as passwords for your accounts) can be described as phishing. It isn’t confined to email, but is also prevalent on social media. There are different names for different types. Attacks that are customised to an individual are often known as ‘spear fishing’, while those that are aimed at the ‘big fish’ in a company, such as a CEO, are known as ‘whaling’, for obvious reasons.
Typically, phishing scammers will try to persuade you that they are a person or an organization that you know and trust. That’s the key to getting you to reveal the information they want, so they can carry out their cybercriminal activities.
The Warning Signs
Phishing attacks are often ingeniously crafted, but there are often clues to alert you to imminent danger. These are some to be aware of:
Atypical Language
Legitimate organizations, such as banks and large retailers make certain that their communications are professionally drafted and well-written. Anomalies in the language are a warning sign. Typos can be telling and could be a clue, but persistent spelling errors and the ‘feel’ of a message are even more important to note. Does it sound as if it wasn’t written by someone fully skilled in the language? If something feels wrong, it could be that you’re sensing a fake.
Scare Tactics?
People tend to act less thoughtfully when they’re put under pressure. A message that tries to pressurise you could be trying to force you to act. For example, you might get an email telling you to confirm your credentials immediately, or there’ll be some kind of serious penalty. This isn’t how legitimate organizations normally act and could be part of a scan attempt. Another tactic is to tempt you with an amazing special offer, but with pressure to respond immediately or lose it.
Something Feels Odd
You get a message from someone on social media. It isn’t someone you’d expect to contact you. It feels a bit odd. What’s going on? This applies in business too. Why are you being contacted? Why you? Is this person for real? Again, if it feels strange, trust your instinct before responding.
Keep Scammers at Bay
It starts with being alert to the possibility of a hacker targeting you. As well as staying alert, there are several things you can do to stop phishing scams succeeding:
- A spam blocker will go a long way to keep phishing emails out of your inbox. It doesn’t guarantee to catch everything but it will almost certainly catch most of them.
- If you’re in a management role, make certain that your staff know how to recognize phishing communications, and what to do if they’re suspicious.
Security is something we at Quikteks take very seriously. We can advise on how to secure your business assets and don’t fall foul of cybercriminals For more information on how we can help, call us at (973) 882-4644.