Regardless of your status as a company owner or an employee, you will likely be the victim of an attempted phishing attack. If you work for clients or your email is in the public domain, a hacker will probably try to infiltrate your device via phishing. A large business would tend to be the most rewarding for a cyber criminal, but they’ll take what they can get. So below, we will explain how you can help yourself and your employees to best resist and identify a phishing attack.
What is a phishing attack?
Whether you know it or not, your employees are likely to be weekly targets of phishing attacks. An attack is when cyber criminals or potential hackers will send emails or messages via social media with links in them which are designed to steal your details. It is the most common cyber attack, but is one of the easiest to defend against if you know what you are looking for.
So what is phishing? In the simplest terms, it is a fraudulent attempt to obtain sensitive information from an individual. The target is usually credit card details or login information, allowing access to more sensitive data. Usually, the sender will disguise themselves as someone reputable, either internal or external, to try and deceive the recipient. The most common form of phishing is to steal information, but other attempts are also made to distribute malware and spyware into the recipient’s device. This is a longer form of a cyber attack and is used by more hardened criminals attacking more prominent organisations.
Why would you simulate a phishing attack?
As in many practices, the best way to learn is by doing. Similarly to how companies and businesses operate fire alarm procedures by simulating natural fires, IT Security experts tend to help businesses and employees learn against phishing by imitating attacks.
Simulating phishing attacks helps employers and employees learn to recognise and avoid potential threats. Not only that, but users can also understand the dangers and how they can go about reporting possible spam. Cyber criminals will try and try again unless they are stopped, so it is crucial that attacks are reported, meaning they can be neutralised. Neuways offer Managed Security and Phishing Awareness training, helping companies ensure the appropriate action is taken to protect their business and data is as secure as possible. A potential breach could cost your business a lot of money and time. On top of that, your reputation can also be damaged beyond repair, all because of one click which could have easily been avoided.
How do you simulate a phishing attack?
Using Managed Security Training and Phishing Awareness Training, you can help your employees to identify potential threats. Although some can be easy to spot, the more sophisticated attacks need a bit more diligence to be spotted. Neuways can help your employees to recognise subtle clues about which emails are suspicious. In an ideal world, if you are asked to click on a link, you should be able to contact the sender immediately via phone or in person to verify that they are the sender.
As part of Managed Security Training, our team can simulate phishing emails and use mock attacks to test your employees. They are not designed to catch your employees out but aim to reinforce good behaviour. If a suspicious email containing a link is sent to your employee, they are expected to double-check with the sender or the IT team. Depending on which IT support company you use, they can provide an advanced solution, as Neuways does with their phishing awareness training service. In essence, the more advanced an attack, the more diligent your employees will learn to be. This is particularly important as cyber criminals become more advanced.
Why is Phishing Simulation important?
Cyber criminals continue to improve phishing attacks and develop new scams as businesses deploy anti-phishing strategies and educate their users about cyber security. Data loss, financial fraud, and embarrassment can result from these evolving and sophisticated attack methods designed to fool employees. By simulating phishing attacks, you can help your business avoid potentially crippling attacks.
Learn more about Phishing Awareness Training with Neuways
Managed Security and Phishing Awareness Training is essential to ensure your business stays cyber safe. By making sure your employees can tell the difference between a standard email and a phishing email, you are doing everything you can to avoid a successful breach.
Contact Neuways today to see how we can help protect your business; you won’t regret keeping your company data safe! It’s not just your employees at risk but also your company.
