Phishing is actually one of many types of fraud. Cybercriminals, otherwise known as hackers, use phishing as an attempt to gain people’s personal information or work credentials. They disguise themselves by using credentials of actual businesses and trick people into opening a malicious website.
This sort of attack is often reported as one of the top social attacks on businesses around the globe. With the rapid advancement in technology, hackers are inventing more sophisticated ways of phishing. Although many phishing methods exist, only a few of those are commonly used to tricking your employees. Here are 5 things you can use to train your employees in avoiding phishing attacks.
1. Hold an Awareness Session
The first line of defense is knowing what to fight against. So, make sure you spread awareness of phishing attacks among your employees and what they should look out for. Make sure to explain what phishing is to them with a few scenarios. An easy example of a phishing attack is someone posing to be one of the employees at a popular ISP like Spectrum Internet asking you to renew your internet subscription urgently by clicking on a certain link. If you click on that link, it may take you to a fake page where your credentials may be required. Feeding those credentials to the hacker will lead you to a disaster. So, make sure to verify the validity of the sender by matching the business address or contact numbers and business logos.
2. Use a Good Software
It may seem like an obvious thing to do, but don’t underestimate its importance. Using good software can reduce the risk of phishing by a great measure. The trick is to keep up with the software updates. Having software that can block out most forms of phishing emails not only helps your employees remain safe but eventually protects the company against hackers.
3. Assert on the Importance of Not Oversharing Information
Inform your employees explicitly regarding the hazards of oversharing their information on social media platforms. Although it feels harmless to add work details on a social media platform but bear in mind that sharing work details or credentials can make people look like an easy target for phishing. Hackers can use this information to pose as a co-worker from a different department to get an employee’s personal information.
4. Make Sure They Know Not to Open Suspicious Emails
Telling employees what sort of language to expect in a phishing email increases their chances to spot one quickly. Usually, cybercriminals use words that may create a sense of urgency, or curiosity. For example, you may receive an email with the subject ‘Urgent Action Required’ or ‘Congratulations! You have won an iPhone’ etc. Opening such emails or responding to them may leave you as a victim of phishing.
5. Ensure They’re Mindful Not to Give Out Their Personal Information
Another thing you must train your employees for is to be mindful of hackers who use generic senders and try to phish out their banking details. A phisher may pretend to be an employee from Amazon or Spectrum TV or Netflix. He or she may coax someone into providing their credit card details so that their TV subscription could be verified or renewed. Employees must be trained to never provide their banking details to anyone.
What More Can You Do?
Dealing with the aftermath of phishing attacks can be a pain in the neck. It can cost you a large sum of money and waste your valuable time. A simple click can compromise your company’s entire network. You must train employees to report such emails to the IT department rather than simply getting rid of them.
Barry Lachey is a Professional Editor at Zobuz. Previously He has also worked for Moxly Sports and Network Resources “Joe Joe.” He is a graduate of the Kings College at the University of Thames Valley London. You can reach Barry via email or by phone.
