From the classic Nigerian Prince emails to the cleverly crafted fake invoice, malicious digital correspondence is a constant threat to a business. It's not just about losing a few bucks, either. A successful phishing attack can cripple your operations, compromise sensitive data, and even lead to your company's demise.
Let's be real: email attachments are a huge part of your digital life. They're also a favorite sneaky entry point for hackers, viruses, and scams. We've all been there, a quick click before we even think. That split second of laziness can turn into a massive headache for you and your whole job.
Before you tap that little paperclip and potentially wreck your day (or your company's network), you need to take a beat. This is your essential checklist for safely opening files sent via email.
Your business’ relationship with IT has a direct correlation to how well it operates. If your technology fails, your business suffers productivity losses, as well as financial ones due to decreased reliability in the eyes of customers and clients. One of the best ways to ensure you’re following through on the promises you make to your customers is to implement a proactive IT strategy to replace the reactive approaches seen in the past.
Cyberscams can be incredibly well-crafted and dangerous, and a significant portion of this danger stems from the scammer's ability to effectively utilize the psychological triggers that we all possess to some degree. Modern security training tends to focus on what signs we all need to keep an eye out for—and for good reason—but it does little to explore why modern scams are as effective as they are.
Let’s fix that by taking a moment to examine the tricks the scammers play so you can be that much more prepared to stop them by understanding how they work.
Nowadays, few things are as universally annoying as the constant stream of spam emails. From ludicrous pharmaceutical offers to urgent pleas for financial assistance from other nations’ royalty, our inboxes can often be likened to a digital landfill. What many people don't realize, however, is that behind this persistent nuisance lies a huge, and shockingly lucrative, industry.
You open your email and you have a message claiming your bank account has been compromised. You click the link, log in, and, whoops, you just handed your credentials to a cybercriminal. You’ve been a victim of phishing, where scammers bait you with fake messages and reel you in like an unsuspecting fish. You don’t have to be their next catch. Here’s how to recognize and fight back against phishing attempts.
If it feels like scammers are everywhere, it’s largely because they are. Every day, they’re cooking up new ways to trick people into giving up money, data, or access to their accounts. One of the biggest problems we run into is that we’re bombarded with so many scam warnings that we start tuning them out. That’s called threat fatigue, the phenomenon when you get so tired of hearing about security risks that you stop paying attention. That’s exactly what scammers want.
Phishing is one of the most prevalent issues individuals and businesses must confront when operating online. This is because there are literally billions of these scam attempts sent each day. That’s right, billions. With over a hundred billion scam attempts sent every year, your business is already getting phished, it’s just a matter of time before someone falls for it.
Amazon Prime subscribers recently received an email from the online marketplace, warning them of the prevalence of scams that took advantage of their offerings and brand recognition. Let’s go through the advice that this email shared, and compare it to the best practices we recommend for avoiding scams.
Phishing attacks have consistently been prominent in cybercrime throughout the past few years, not only due to their efficacy but also because there are so many avenues wherein phishing can be attempted. The first that comes to mind is email, of course, but you and your team need to keep these others in mind.
Take, for instance, a phishing voicemail…dubbed, naturally, a “phoicemail.”
I’m talking about when the heir to the Nigerian throne would reach out to your Hotmail account to help him secure his inheritance, or when an attractive woman or man you’ve never met before would email you out of the blue asking if you were single; spam has always been annoying, but back then, it was clearly just junk that could be ignored.
Today, it’s not so simple.
Okay, let’s say you’ve been infected by a ransomware attack, and (against our advice) you’ve elected to pay the ransom. That’s the biggest cost that comes with it, right?
Unfortunately, wrong. A ransomware attack comes with a lot more financial impact than just the payment the attacker demands. Let’s go over some of these other costs that can actually outpace that of the ransom.
Let me ask you a few questions—first, how confident are you that you could spot an online ruse, and second, did you know there’s a stain on your shirt right now?
Did you look?
If so, you’ve just fallen for the school playground version of social engineering, a serious threat. Let’s discuss the kind that you’re more likely to see in terms of your business’ cybersecurity.
We’ve all seen our friends and family sharing quizzes on their social media profiles, prompting people to find out what their celebrity stage name or what Hogwarts house you would be in, or to share what their first concert experience was. These fun, lighthearted quizzes are a great way to get to know a little more about the people we’re connected with… and that’s the biggest problem.
Phishing is one of those threats that has been around for a long time, and as time passes by, these threats only become more difficult to identify. Some businesses can’t tell the difference between phishing scams and actual emails. Here’s how your company can take steps toward properly identifying and responding to phishing emails.
Even the most cautious employee could fall victim to a well-placed and well-timed phishing email. What are some factors that contribute to the success of these attacks, and what subject lines in particular should people be cautious about? A recent study takes a look at what goes into a successful phishing attack, and you might be surprised by the results.
Out of all the email messages you get throughout the workday, how many of them are spam messages or malicious emails from hackers trying to get at your credentials? You don’t need us to tell you that spam and phishing emails are a serious problem, but sometimes they can be a bit difficult to identify—especially to the untrained or uninformed eye. Let’s go over some of the telltale signs of spam and phishing emails, as well as how you should react to them.
With email being such a huge part of doing business, phishing has become a favorite tool of many scammers. To fight back, it is key that you know how to recognize a phishing email, so we’re dedicating some time to doing just that.
Having success in business often relies on developing trustworthy relationships. You have to trust your vendors and suppliers to get you the resources you need, you need to trust your staff to complete their tasks without putting your business in harm's way, and you need to trust your customers to buy the products and services that you offer. Running counter to these necessary bonds of trust are people actively soliciting people’s time, energy, money, and attention for their own selfish purposes.
If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, you’ve seen us reference a phishing attack. Whether you are being asked by some supposed Nigerian prince to fork over money or you are getting an email by what seems to be your bank that directs you to download an attachment, you are probably a potential victim of a phishing scam. The difference between being a potential victim and a victim is knowing how to identify it. Today, we’ll give you five ways to identify a phishing message so that you—or your company—won’t be scammed.
