Business security simplified: About avoiding phishing attacks!

In recent years, a lot has been written about phishing attacks. Hackers rely on various social engineering and other techniques to launch malware and phishing attacks, but the good news is such attacks can be prevented. Identifying phishing attacks and staying proactive can go a long way in preventing unwanted security incidents. Here are some basic things businesses must know about phishing and hacks. 

Signs/types of phishing attacks

1. More commonly, hackers may send an email with a suspicious link that will take the user to a website that seeks personal or business information. 
2. Phishing emails may also contain a download, which actually is a malware, such as trojan. Malware can be used for obtaining sensitive data, to snoop into user activities. 
3. Asking details on email, as if the email was sent from a reliable and reputable source. Typically, the website or email username will have small grammatical or spelling mistake. 

Additionally, phishing could be related to emails and links that ask the user to download and install what may seem like a legit resource. 

What can your business do about phishing?

1. First and foremost, make your employees aware about their role in ensuring information security. 
2. You can use filters that finds phishing emails, viruses and senders. 
3. Ensure that all operating systems, software, and firmware are updated to the latest version. 
4. Find the best antivirus and antimalware software for your networked devices. 
5. Focus on strong passwords that are hard to hack. Hackers will try to get access to passwords by sending emails. 
6. Use multifactor authentication. Even if a hacker manages to access a password, they won’t be able to crack the account or device when there is a second or third layer of security. 
7. Ensure that all networked devices are placed behind firewalls. 
8. Check if your employees follow the basic email and browsing etiquettes. 
9. Find a concrete and tested way of reviewing and handling phishing emails. 
10. Focus on limiting access on critical information. 

Get teams together

There is no standard way of ensuring complete immunity to phishing attacks. However, your business can manage its resources better and reduce the possible chances of security breaches by being a tad ahead of hackers. Get your teams involved, make sure to do conduct regular workshops, and let employees know of every possible way that hackers may use. Phishing emails are not that hard to find, and yet, employees do make mistakes that can be otherwise avoided.