Goin’ Phishin’

Fishing is a great way to enjoy the outdoors with family and friends. Tossing in a line at a favorite fishing hole, hoping for a big catch, is how many people spend their time in the summer. More experienced people know where to go to maximize the chance of reeling in that prize fish. The type and size of the fish depend on many different things such as location, gear, time of day, etc. No matter the factors, a fisherman still must cast their line and hope something bites.

Fishing/Phishing – it’s really all the same. Moving from the water into the cybersecurity world isn’t so different. Phishing attacks can affect any type or size of business, usually all going for the same targets within those companies. They are all looking for that “big catch.” Hackers are looking to target the executives, who have the so-called keys to the castle. Many times, a phishing attack could go through without much damage, but all it takes is one mistake by an employee to really cause some pain. It seems simple, but just double checking an email address could be a savior. Make sure you aren’t the fish that bites!

Recently, it has been reported that many members of the White House staff had been targeted by a spear-phishing attack. While there was no data stolen, it still made some top officials look pretty bad. This situation was just a big prank, it could have been much worse if some sort of classified info was given away. It usually comes down to lack of awareness in situations like this. A combination of good email protection and user awareness are the keys to shutting down phishing threats. There is always a chance a phishing email can make it through the defense. When top officials in our country don’t recognize a phony email, it could be damaging on many levels. Good thing it was just a prankster this time around.

Phishing attacks seem to be on the rise, recently with the White House and HBO. If you work and have a corporate email address, it is very important to be aware that anyone can be targeted. Giving away any sort of info (credit card, social security number, etc.) is never a good idea. Also, having a solid email defense such as Proofpoint is a great start to stopping phishing attacks. In the case one sneaks through a defense, user awareness is the next step. While phishing isn’t exactly fishing, they both involve going for that “big catch.” Hackers are always looking for that bite on the end of their phishing line!

Want assistance in securing your network from phishing attacks?  Contact us and we can help!