Have you ever heard of phishing? If you work in an office-based business, or you frequently work with IT systems, it’s probably entered its way into your life at some point, whether this is in the form of spam emails or having to implement software onto your computer to diminish any risk. If you’re curious for more information about phishing and its impact, as well as ways to prevent it, just keep reading.
What is phishing?
Phishing is a type of cybercrime that uses methods such as emailing, texting, social media or phone calls to try and obtain people’s personal information. They will pose as reputable companies to try and get their victims to provide data, which could usually lead to financial loss and potentially identity theft. They will usually do this by directing people to a website that looks real, but is a site for fraudulent activity.
What information will they try and obtain?
By luring someone into following a fraudulent link, scammers will be trying to find out your personal information. This could include:
- Personally identifiable information
- Bank details
- Credit card details
- Passwords
You should always be wary about who you give any information out to, but be especially vigilant when it is information as sensitive as this.
How can you spot a phishing attempt?
One of the best ways to prevent a phishing attack is to know what to look for. Being aware of the signs will allow you to be more suspicious, rather than unknowingly giving out important information to someone who wishes to use it against you. You could look for things such as:
- Hyperlinks within the email or message
- Attachments within the email or message
- If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is
- If someone asks you personal information, look at whether you know them. If they are stranger to you, be wary
- Hover over the URL, and if there is a SSL (secure socket layer), which will present itself as a URL beginning with ‘https://’, the link is usually secure
How can you prevent a phishing attack?
There are a number of ways that a phishing attack can be prevented. If you are a company, it is a good idea to use more stringent techniques, to ensure that your business’s data isn’t compromised. Here are some ways to prevent phishing attempts:
- Implement filters for spam on your system
- Change your browser settings – only allow reliable websites to be accessed
- Change your passwords on a regular basis, and never use same password for multiple accounts
- Always report phishing attempts – if you receive an email, ensure you block the sender to prevent further attempts
- Implement cyber security systems on your computer and company wide
How can cyber security systems help?
The benefits of cyber security for your company are that you will have the support of an IT company who can work towards your security from a data perspective. In the event of a cyber-attack, this team would also be able to do everything in their power to recovery any lost data. It could also be beneficial to provide training for your team on phishing and cyber safety, ensuring the risk is kept minimised.
Here at Cyan IT, we can be the team to help keep your company safe from phishing and cyber threats. If you’re interested in our services and you’d like to minimise the risk of phishing, give us a call on 020 8142 4394 or email hello@cyan-it.co.uk.