Phishing remains the #1 attack vector, responsible for 91% of cyberattacks. Training employees to recognize phishing is your best defense.
Red Flags to Identify
- Urgency: "Act immediately or your account will be closed!"
- Suspicious sender: misspelled domains (micr0soft.com)
- Generic greeting: "Dear Customer" instead of your name
- Grammar errors: Poor spelling and unusual phrasing
- Hover links: Display text doesn't match actual URL
- Unexpected attachments: Especially .exe, .zip, macros
Types of Phishing
| Email Phishing | Mass emails impersonating trusted brands |
| Spear Phishing | Targeted at specific individuals |
| Whaling | Targeting executives (CEO fraud) |
| Smishing | Via SMS text messages |
| Vishing | Voice/phone-based phishing |
When in Doubt
- Don't click links or download attachments
- Contact the sender through official channels
- Report to IT/Security team
- Delete the email
For Organizations
- Run monthly phishing simulations
- Implement email filtering (DMARC, SPF, DKIM)
- Enable MFA on all accounts
- Create easy reporting mechanism
December 2024