How to Prevent Phishing
Spear phishing emails are on the rise. With your trade secrets being a hot commodity, it’s no surprise that cybercriminals are coming up with new ways to try and trick your employees.
But with them changing up their methods so often, how can you keep blocking their attempts so they aren’t successful in breaching your defenses?
We’ve put together a few tips on how to prevent phishing, so your workplace has a fighting chance against ingenious attacks.
Be skeptical of links and attachments
The majority of successful phishing attempts happen because an employee has clicked on either a malicious link or attachment. This opens the door to malware being installed, which is another can of worms.
To prevent this from happening in the first place, try to have discipline when you encounter links and attachments. Instead of having a trigger finger, check out the link first by hovering your cursor over it. Does it have a strange URL? Then don’t click it.
If the attachment is from someone you’re not familiar with, trash it straightaway. Don’t consider opening it. Even if it’s from someone you know, and you’re expecting a file from them, it’s good practice to double-check that they’ve actually sent it. Spoofing is common, especially in spear phishing emails, so there’s a good chance that email from your coworker isn’t genuine.
Use a good antivirus program
The most basic step you can take to have cybersecurity at your workplace is to install an antivirus program. This can fend off simple phishing attempts, as well as block viruses from infecting your network.
Be sure to keep your antivirus up-to-date, since patches get rid of any newly discovered vulnerabilities. Cybercriminals exploit these vulnerabilities for their attacks, so eliminate those weaknesses by installing updates as soon as possible.
Install an anti-phishing toolbar
Many anti-phishing toolbars are free to use, so there’s no harm in getting this extra layer of protection. Simply add an in-browser anti-phishing toolbar; it’ll check the phishing blog sites you’re visiting in real-time and block them immediately if they’re malicious.
Install anti-phishing software
One of the most important things your business needs to do is implement good spear phishing protection software. You may think having antivirus software is enough, but it isn’t. While it can detect basic phishing attempts, some more sophisticated ones may slip through.
When you get anti-phishing software, it can do the following for you:
- Intercept emails to check for malicious content
- Block emails with malicious content from ever reaching your inbox
- Recognize display and domain name spoofing
- Check URLs in real-time
- Allow you to customize settings to suit your organization
- Protect you against zero-day vulnerabilities
Be prepared for spear phishing attacks
Now that you know the essential steps of spear phishing prevention, your business benefits as a whole. Phishing awareness training is important in fighting spear phishing, so make sure every employee receives the information you’ve obtained from reading this article. By spreading your knowledge, the chances of a successful spear phishing attack significantly drop.
Enterprise-class email protection without the enterprise price
For flexible per-user pricing, PhishProtection’s integrated email security solution protects your employees from business email compromise (BEC) and many other email threats. 24×7. On any device. With features you’d expect in more expensive solutions:
All Plans Come With
- Stops business email compromise (BEC)
- Stops brand forgery emails
- Stop threatening emails before they reach the inbox
- Continuous link checking
- Real-time website scanning
- Real time alerts to users and administrators
- Protection with settings you control
- Protection against zero day vulnerabilities
- Complete situational awareness from web-based console
Join 7500+ Organizations that use Phish Protection
Phish Protection works with System Administrators, IT Professionals and IT Executives in thousands of companies worldwide. Sign up and protect your organization from phishing attacks in less than 5 minutes
