How to Prevent Phishing Attacks
Often, attackers will impersonate someone they know or have authority over. This can include a company executive or even a family member. This personalization makes the phishing attack more likely to succeed. Attackers will also use AI voice generators to sound like the target over a phone call. This helps to further personalize the phishing attack, making it more difficult for the victim to detect the attack.
Threats and Urgency
A common tactic is to urge, or even demand, immediate action in a bid to fluster the recipient. This is meant to prevent the victim from carefully reviewing the content of the email before clicking or opening any links. The sense of urgency also makes it more likely that the recipient will ignore other inconsistencies in an email.
An example of this was the Sony phishing attack that took place in 2014. Attackers impersonated senior executives and demanded immediate action to avoid the loss of confidential data. This type of attack is why it’s important to change passwords regularly and use unique passwords for each online account.
Another way to reduce the risk of phishing attacks is through education and employee training. Employers can run phishing simulations and track employee behavior to discover which employees click on malicious links, enter their credentials in a phishing site and download malware. The results of these simulations can be used to train employees on the warning signs of phishing and to reinforce best practices in the workplace.