The Dangers of Phishing

Phishing is a type of cybercrime that is very common and can happen to almost anyone. It occurs when an individual or group of individuals is targeted by cybercriminals in a very inconspicuous way—via email. An email will be sent to the target or targets to open and be at potential risk of a data breach.

The email will arrive from someone posing to be a legitimate organization or institution and lure unsuspecting targets into giving up sensitive information that could put them or their company at risk. An excellent example of this could be when you receive an email from HMRC, or any TAX collection services, that says you are liable for a tax rebate. The incentive of a tax rebate coming from an email that looks like a reputable source is an excellent reason to click; however, clicking on the link provided is a critical mistake and will likely result in that person giving up valuable and private information. To know more check out networkassured.com on the 6 common cybersecurity threats that you may encounter in 2022.

Why is it Dangerous?

Phishing is particularly dangerous because it plays to the user psychology of clicking, luring them under the guise of an incentive that will hopefully encourage them to give up sensitive data. The emotional tactics phishing emails use are cleverly designed so that they can catch anyone out. You might be thinking that you would never open a dodgy-looking email; however, you will be surprised to hear that it happens more often than not and can be very dangerous.

Each email will play on a sense of urgency and an idea that is too good to be true so that users are lured into clicking. Yet, once you’ve clicked, you open your systems and networks to the dangers of malware systems and threats, all of which are looking to mine your data and potentially hold it at ransom.

How To Avoid the Risk

If you are looking to avoid the risk of phishing, there are several things you can do. Firstly, educate your employees if you are worrying from a business perspective. Tell them how it works and the commonality of the threat. Alert them to the specific dangers of following a clickbait trail.

Secondly, invest in suitable security for your company and this type of threat. Social engineering prevention services are designed to prevent the dangers of clicking. Even if a user is fooled into clicking an email link, this type of security will block the threat from accessing a piece of vital or private information.

Phishing may seem like an obvious scam; it was the most common cybercrime in 2020, having doubled in the number of incidents from 2019. The increase in the number and frequency of crime shows how easy it is for users to be tricked by the psychology of these emails. Emails that are cleverly designed to persuade you to enter vital information, thus rendering yourself vulnerable to theft and crime.  It is, therefore, essential that individuals and businesses protect themselves against the dangers of phishing.