Phishing attacks are one of the most common security threats that both individuals and companies face in keeping their data secure and safe. People all over the world receive suspicious emails luring them into providing sensitive data such as passwords, banking and card details. This data is then used for malicious purposes.
Email Phishing is the commonly used phishing technique as it is easy to send a single fraudulent mail to millions of people and does not require high IT knowledge and skills. According to the “2017 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report” – around 1 in 14 users were tricked into following a link or opening an attachment.
Here are 3 Insider tips on identifying and preventing potential phishing emails in your inboxes:
1. Assess the overall quality of the email
Cybercriminals usually send emails containing grammatical errors, incorrect spellings and faulty layouts. Make sure to properly analyze the email – check for spelling errors, language, logos and quality of the graphic elements, etc.
2. Assess the content of the email
If the email asks the user to perform certain functions such as submitting personal information or confirming personal details, especially with an urgency notice, such an email is likely to be fraudulent. Also, take extreme precautions if the email contains an unreasonable offer such as lottery emails.
3. Checking the origin of the links in the email
Phishing emails often contain links that take you outside a secure network. It will be beneficial to check the origin and integrity of the links and the domain name. Hackers often use fake domain names that resemble any legitimate website.
The risk of phishing emails can be mitigated by raising information security awareness. It is of utmost importance to educate the company’s employees and everyone who has access to your mail accounts on how to recognize and prevent phishing attacks. In addition to raising awareness, organizations can use technical security means such as antivirus software, firewalls, spam filters, etc.
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