Business owners often get unsolicited emails from individuals who want to sell them goods, services, or products. Depending on the message, they might even come across as a bit suspicious, prompting you to question the authenticity of the email. If you’re not careful, you might accidentally expose your organization by clicking on the wrong link in the wrong email, thus falling victim to the oldest trick in the book: the phishing attack.
The greatest threat from phishing attacks often comes from the fact that you might not expect a particular type of phishing scam. Phishing attacks are growing increasingly more common, and it’s for a very good reason: they work. Cybersecurity professionals have their work cut out for them, as hackers are frequently trying to overcome the latest security measures out there by utilizing a stagnant part of most companies’ security infrastructures: their employees.
Phishing attacks can come in countless different forms, and they all target the human element of your company’s security infrastructure. Whether it’s an unsolicited email, a phone call asking for sensitive information, a physical mailer asking you to pay a fine or fee, or even text messages asking you to click on links to confirm shipping details for an order you can’t recall placing, they all circumvent your most carefully placed security measures by leveraging your employees.
Furthermore, some phishing messages are so convincing and well thought out that spam filters might not even catch them in the process. If a hacker invests time into researching your business—including the recipient of the email—they could be so personalized that they can circumvent the spam filter entirely. These are very real threats to your organization, and if users don’t know what to look for, they could make a mistake that is hard to walk away from unscathed.
At the end of the day, the best way to combat phishing messages is not to implement the best security solutions on the market (although they do go a long way); it’s to train your employees on how to identify and respond to security threats like phishing messages so they don’t fall for social engineering tactics.
We always encourage businesses to use an enterprise-grade spam filter, but we also want them to train their employees to address threats in a way that minimizes risk. These are preventative measures that address issues before they become significant problems or detriments. They aren’t going to solve all of your problems, but they will prevent most of them from evolving into bigger and more dangerous ones. As per usual, your security is only going to be effective if people are aware of your solutions and policies.
While we cannot guarantee that you’ll never encounter a phishing attack again, acknowledging that these issues will appear from time to time can go a long way toward preparing to handle them effectively. North Central Technologies can help your business acquire the IT resources and training needed to take the fight to phishing attacks. To learn more, contact us today at 978-798-6805.
