A Deep Dive Into Phishing Scams

Phishing schemes continue to be one of the most common and effective forms of cyberattacks today, so being aware of the risk they represent to organizations like yours is critical. If you don’t grasp how threat actors use phishing emails, your company might be the next victim.

This blog will teach you the purpose of phishing emails, the many types of phishing assaults, and, most importantly, how to safeguard your email and company.

The goal behind phishing emails

Cybercriminals employ phishing emails to trick unsuspecting victims into giving money, exchanging passwords, installing malware, or disclosing personal info. A phishing attack’s primary goal is to steal your money, data, or both.

Financial theft

          – A phishing attempt’s most typical goal is to steal your money. Scammers utilize a variety of techniques to extort money, including business email compromise (BEC) and ransomware assaults.

Data theft

          – Your data, such as usernames and passwords, identification information (e.g., social security numbers), and financial data (e.g., credit card numbers or bank account information), is as valuable to cybercriminals as gold. They can exploit your login information to perpetrate financial fraud or to insert malware. Your sensitive data can also be profitably sold on the dark web.

Be vigilant and look out for these phishing attempts:

• Be careful if an email urges you to click on a link. Scammers send phishing emails with dangerous software links that can steal your data and personal information.
• Be wary if an email refers you to a website. It might be a malicious website that steals personal information from you, such as your login credentials.
• Be wary if an email has an attachment. Malicious extensions that masquerade as a document, invoice, or voicemail can infect your computer and steal your personal information.
• Be wary if an email tries to hurry you into performing an urgent action, such as transferring payments. Before taking any action, try to confirm the validity of the request.

Different types of phishing

It is critical to remember that phishing attempts are continually changing and may target organizations of all sizes. Cybercriminals utilize a variety of methods, including phishing emails, SMS, phone calls, and social network messages.

Here are the different kinds of phishing traps that you should watch out for:

Spear phishing

          – Scammers target people or organizations with highly tailored emails in order to persuade them to provide sensitive information such as login passwords or credit card information. Spear phishing emails are also used to deliver malware.

Whaling

          – A sort of spear phishing, whale phishing or whaling is a fraud that targets high-level executives by impersonating reputable sources or websites in order to obtain information or money.

Smishing

          – Smishing, a growing type of hack, uses SMS messages seeming to be from reputable sources to persuade victims to divulge personal information or transfer money.

Vishing

          – Vishing or voice phishing is a technique used by cybercriminals to phone victims while impersonating someone from the IRS, a bank, or the victim’s office, to mention a few. The main goal of voice phishing is to persuade the victim to provide critical personal information.

Business email compromise (BEC)

          – A BEC is a spear phishing assault that use a seemingly authentic email account to deceive the victim, who is frequently a senior-level executive. The most typical goal of a BEC scam is to persuade an employee to transmit money to the cybercriminal while falsely claiming to be conducting a genuine, approved business transaction.

Angler phishing

           – This form of fraud, often known as social media phishing, predominantly targets social media users. Cybercriminals using bogus customer service accounts dupe dissatisfied consumers by disclosing personal information, including bank account information. Scammers frequently target financial institutions and e-commerce companies.

Brand impersonation

          – Brand impersonation, also known as brand spoofing, is a sort of phishing fraud that uses emails, SMS, phone calls, and social media messaging. Cybercriminals imitate a well-known company in order to deceive clients into disclosing critical information. While brand impersonation is primarily aimed at customers, the incidence can harm the business’s reputation.

Bolster your email security

Emails are critical to the success of your company. Implementing the best email practices and security standards on your own might be difficult. That is why you should think about collaborating with an IT service provider like Atom Creek. We have the resources and technologies to secure your company against cyberattacks, allowing you to focus on more important responsibilities. Please contact sales@atomcreek.com right away!