Phishing attacks have been around since the 90s and, unfortunately, are still something we deal with today. It can be easy to fall for a phishing attack if you’re not keen on the signs of an inauthentic email.
As phishing emails evolve and continue to be a cybersecurity threat, there are a few ways to tell if a suspicious email is a danger or legitimate, and today, we’ll focus on one—identifying a bad URL.
How Does Phishing Work?
First and foremost, a phishing email must be convincing before it will trick its victim. You wouldn’t trust an email from your bank where they misspell your name and the bank’s name itself, would you? Unfortunately, many phishing attempts have grown more elaborate and attentive to detail, so you need to pay closer attention to spot the discrepancies between a phishing email and a legitimate one. This is where checking any URLs in the message comes in.
At the click of a button, a seemingly innocent email can turn into a monstrous problem. Depending on the severity of the phishing scam, your company’s entire servers and private information could become compromised. Every employee is susceptible to phishing, so it’s imperative that you educate everyone on your team about the importance of cybersecurity and protection against threats. If they aren’t safeguarding themselves, it doesn’t just impact that employee—it could be detrimental to the entire business.
Types of Phishing
Phishing can appear in your inbox through several avenues of deceit. Knowing what to look out for is important so you and your company aren’t vulnerable to cybersecurity attacks.
The most common type of phishing is sending an email trying to look legitimate from a bank or another important company in an attempt to have the user click on the website linked or enter information into a false website, stealing information and data. Email phishing is a growing concern as it becomes trickier and seemingly more authentic.
Spear phishing targets specific organizations and aren’t sent out as mass emails. Attackers typically gather intelligence about the company before the attack in an effort to come across as authentic to the employees receiving this email. The company logo may appear on the email, making it seem real; however, there are still signs to look out for to avoid this cyber attack attempt.
Whaling is similar to spear phishing, but the attacker targets high-level employees, such as CEOs or senior executives. Their goal is typically to gain access to the target’s sensitive data and information.
Clone phishing is an attack where a previously legitimate email has been hacked, and its content and recipient email addresses have been stolen. This type of phishing might have an altered URL or downloads attached by the attacker to hack users’ accounts.
The Dangers of Deceptive URL
Most phishing attempts depend on the user to click through to a website that then steals their credentials. The fact that they can hide the URL behind the contents of their message only makes it easier for a cybercriminal to hook an unsuspecting victim. The target reads the message and naively clicks through to the website — at least, in theory.
How to Avoid Being Phished
The first thing you need to do is to consider all of the warning signs of a phishing email. If the email is sent from an official business but is using a public domain, chances are it’s a scam. A bank or postal service will never use Yahoo or Gmail to contact you.
Next, think about why and who is contacting you. The government won’t email you urgently asking for your social security number. If the situation seems suspicious, it’s likely phishing.
If there’s an included link in any incoming message, you need to be especially wary as you evaluate that. Fortunately, this is a fairly simple, straightforward process. Rather than clicking through the link, simply hover your cursor over it. The associated URL will appear. If the URL isn’t going to the domain you expect it to, you need to avoid it. For example, if an email that looks like it is from PayPal wants you to go to “payypal.com” and confirm your username and password, chances are it’s a scam, and you’ll be giving your credentials to hackers.
As phishing unfortunately evolves with technology, it becomes harder to spot. Don’t assume it won’t happen to you; be prepared and protect your company. Educate your team on how to spot a bad URL and avoid phishing scams. Exact IT offers email phishing and analysis tools with PII protection to give you the support and education needed to effectively protect your organization.
Protect your Company with Exact IT
Ask yourself, does it make sense, considering who the supposed sender is? Does it match the URL associated with the sender’s email? If it doesn’t, you are likely the intended target of a phishing email. Whatever you do, don’t click on that link, as that is likely all it would take to infect your system. We can help you keep your systems clear of similar threats through our preventative monitoring services and educational resources.
