Phishing attacks are one of the emerging cyber security threats that are affecting businesses worldwide.
Almost anyone could fall victim to a phishing scam. Fortunately, as cybersecurity knowledge has increased, more businesses are now able to recognise a basic phishing scam. Standard procedures include checking for spelling issues, being suspicious of email addresses you do not recognise, and more.
Despite this, phishing is still by far the most frequent and successful cyberattack. In fact, phishing scams are often the first step in large-scale ransomware operations. Moreover, with the advancements in technology, phishing attacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated and complex, so it takes a skilled eye to identify them.
Here ae some ways you can identify an advanced phishing scam.
1. Inspect domain names and links
The first tip we have is to inspect domain names and links. Apart from merely checking the name of the person sending you an email, hover your mouse over their email address. Ensure that there are no alterations made, such as additional letters or numbers.
These days, many cybercriminals are utilising URL shorteners to conceal domains. Thus, it is incredibly beneficial if you copy and paste the links into a URL checker when you receive an email from an unknown sender. This would help to reveal the entire URL — it is probably a scam if the complete address is lengthy, has numerous strange characters, or contains words unrelated to the authentic site.
2. Be wary of threats or emails with a sense of urgency
Emails that forewarn their recipients of a negative event are immediately suspicious. A tactic employed by cybercriminals is urgency, which encourages or demands speedy action in the hopes that the victim would do so without fully understanding the phishing message’s contents. An individual should pause and carefully review an email if it contains any threats or urgent requests.
3. Analyse email headers
If there aren’t any obvious indicators, you can check an email more thoroughly by looking at its header. Click the arrow next to “Reply” in Gmail and choose “Show original” to view this.
This will display the email’s whole raw source code, with the header being the first text block. To make the header more readable, paste it into an email header analyser. The outcomes will provide information such as a spam score, the email’s source, and its path.
Best practices for preventing phishing attacks
While the 3 tips we have shared will prove helpful in identifying phishing attacks, as the saying goes, prevention is better than cure! It would be best to minimise the possibility of these attacks happening in the first place. After all, a successful cyberattack can result in significant financial and reputational losses for a business.
Train your employees
Facilitating secure communication practices is one of the best strategies to stop phishing attacks in an organisation. Employees can learn to avoid even the most sophisticated phishing attack by being given a thorough grasp of the effects of a phishing attempt.
Use multi-factor authentication
An additional security technique called multi-factor authentication (MFA) can significantly reduce the frequency of phishing attempts. In addition to passwords, MFA also uses one-time passwords given to mobile devices, physical security tokens, and biometric IDs as additional forms of authentication. This indicates that even if your employees are forced to reveal their passwords by attackers, the password will be meaningless to the attacker in the absence of a second authentication method.
Invest in email security solutions
Arguably the best solution to phishing attacks is investing in email security solutions. These solutions can keep your employees and your business safe by detecting and responding to email threats. For the most effective email security solutions in Singapore, TYPENT is the one for you!
Conclusion
Although the fundamental ideas behind phishing attacks haven’t changed much over the years, modern attacks are much more sophisticated than they used to be. Hopefully, with the help of this article, you have learnt a little more about how to identify phishing attacks and safeguard your business.
In the coming years, businesses must take cybersecurity seriously and allocate appropriate resources to it. Besides phishing attacks, there are various emerging cybersecurity threats that can be detrimental to your business.
As one of the leading IT outsourcing companies in Singapore, TYPENT is fully committed to helping you safeguard your company’s network and data with our range of products and services – including Singapore Firewall Services, server virtualisation, network integration, email security solutions, Trend Micro Endpoint Security in Singapore and more.
In addition to offering a large selection of reliable products and services, we are professionals in the field with over ten years of expertise and can help you create a tailored cyber security plan for your business.
Protect your business against phishing attacks and other emerging threats with us today! Contact us for more information.
