Second in a series of four blog posts on cybersecurity
Companies, owners and employees are under attack from two types of email schemes. Phishing is a common broad-based email scam that cybercriminals use to target a large number of unexpected users. By sending these phishing emails, cybercriminals are able to gain access to thousands of usernames and passwords every day. In a more sophisticated scheme, cybercriminals are using “spear phishing” emails, which are targeted to a specific group of people and are harder for users to detect as malicious.
The best defense to these scams is education. Consider these three things the next time you read your email:
- Be Careful. Be Alert. Don’t trust the email, even if you know the sender of the email.
- Be Private. When personal information is being requested or is included in the email, pause and ask, “why or how do they know that information?” Many cybercriminals will do their research on social media sites to gather personal information to make the phishing attempt appear more legitimate.
- Take your time. Don’t react. Phishing emails often try to assert an immediate action. If the email requests you to act now, be leery of the links and/or phone numbers in that email. Take your time and verify with the sender through a phone call or check the company’s website.
Now that you know how to better identify phishing and spear phishing attempts, learn how to recognize malicious attachments and URL links. Anders Technology is here to help protect your business from cybersecurity attacks that could cost you time and money. Our team can implement a cybersecurity training program within your company to educate employees on the latest best practices to avoid a cyber attack. Contact an Anders advisor to learn more.
