BotNet News

A phishing attack involves sending email or online messages that appear to be from trusted sources and ask for personal information. The attackers then use that information to access accounts, steal credentials, or gain money by impersonating the victim. Attackers often create a sense of urgency by invoking account suspension, financial loss, or the threat of legal action to induce fear and entice victims to act quickly without careful consideration.

Attackers also manipulate social media and other data to personalize their attacks and increase their success rates. For example, they may reference recent company news, mimic a colleague’s writing style, or include specific details about an employee’s home life. This makes employees more likely to open malicious attachments or click on fake links.

For many years, phishing has been the weakest link in an organization’s cybersecurity chain, and it still is today. According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), these scams caused a staggering $1.7 billion in losses for organizations in 2019 alone. That’s a lot of dough that could have been used for other things, like hiring more people, expanding services, or buying some new beanbags for the breakroom.

It only takes one person to fall for a phishing attack to instigate a data breach, so it’s important that everyone stays vigilant and thinks before they click. Evaluate emails for suspicious elements, such as a discrepancy between the displayed and actual URL (revealed by hovering over the hyperlink) or misspellings or minor variations on legitimate URLs, and don’t share personal information over email or social media.