Phishing, by definition, is described as the fraudulent practice of sending emails purporting to be from reputable companies in order to induce individuals to reveal personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers. The most common phishing attack is deceptive phishing, according to Infosec Resources. This type of attack includes the process of scammers attempting to replicate a legitimate company’s email correspondence and prompt victims into handing over information or credentials.
There are many ways to determine whether or not you may have received a phishing email:
- Unofficial “From" address
- Urgent action required
- Generic greeting
- Link to a fake website
- Legitimate links mixed with fake links
- Spelling errors, poor grammar
- Requests for personal information
Of course, there are other characteristics that may be included in a phishing email, but these are the most common. How you can avoid phishing emails and prevent scammers from getting any personal information? The Federal Trade Commission provides four steps to protect yourself from phishing:
1. Protect your computer by using security software
2. Protect your mobile phone by setting software to update automatically
3. Protect your accounts by using multi-factor authentication
4. Protect your data by backing it up
These are solutions that I’m sure you’ve all heard a time or two, but the real question is how many of you actually take these steps to avoid a cyber attack? It is common to have the mentality of “it won’t happen to me” but the reality of it is that it can happen to absolutely anyone at any time. Be proactive and prevent it from happening to you.
