Exploiting Our Humanity
What is the one human characteristic we all share?
What makes us eagerly anticipate the months-away season premiere of a TV show that ended on a cliffhanger (or keeps us binge-watching long after we should have gone to bed)?
Why do we keep taking quizzes that tell us what type of shopper/jungle animal/celebrity we are?
What got you to read this in the first place?
It’s the most basic human quality, and it is precisely what cyber criminals use to attack us so successfully. Our curiosity.
How will you be targeted?
We are all potential targets of the next cyber attack that seeks to steal our data. While there are many forms of cyber deception, we’re going to focus on general online phishing campaigns: the dangers they pose and how we can avoid falling prey to them.
Maybe an email will come through first thing on Monday morning saying you have an invoice for a bill you are not aware of.
What bill? For how much? Did I forget to pay something?
Phishing campaigns can appear to be a notice from your bank, a note from a fellow coworker, or even a text message. Within the message, there’s likely a hyperlink or attachment that looks all too normal. You click on the attachment to see what’s inside. What you don’t know is that you have just become a victim. Your computer is infecting your company’s files, encrypting them to be held for ransom.
The main goal of any phishing attack is to get you to click on that link or open that attachment to give the attacker access. Their purpose could be attempting to steal company data for ransom or to sell to someone else. They may be eliciting information from you to attempt access to other accounts. Phishing can come in all different forms, and attackers are becoming more and more sophisticated with their designs.
Attackers will target your natural human curiosity to trick you into becoming their next victim. Millions of attacks happen each year.
So what can we do to prevent it?
The easiest way to prevent this from happening is education and training. Along with the tips listed here, there are programs that simulate phishing attacks and can provide real-time feedback and training. To learn more about how you can safely improve security awareness among your employees, fill in your name and email below.
- In our busy lives, we all need a reminder to think before we click.
- Make sure your antivirus and browser are up to date.
- Only open emails from trusted sources, and never give out personal information.
- We need to ensure that our users know how to pick out certain characteristics of a phishing email.
- Before you click, hover over links to see where you will be directed.
- If somehow you do suspect that you’ve been tricked into opening something suspicious, alert your IT department immediately so they can investigate and protect your network.
At Infinity, we have the tools and training to help you avoid becoming the next victim of a phishing attack. Find out how today.