One of the biggest security risks to your company right now is phishing schemes.
A staggering 83% of businesses reported successful attacks last year. Furthermore, there is a good risk that someone in your company will fall for a phishing scam given that a third of phishing emails are actually opened.
However, to make matters more challenging, cybercriminals have borrowed a strategy from ransomware groups that is designed to panic people into acting and disclosing their login information.
This latest phishing attack starts out like most others do.
You receive an email letting you know that your account may be the subject of questionable behavior. It can state that a login attempt has been banned because it was made from a different device or location.
After that, you are required to click a link to confirm your password and email address.
That should raise enough concern, right?
But the countdown timer that shows on screen makes this phishing scam considerably more dangerous.
Usually, the timer is set for one hour. If you don’t confirm your information before the timer expires, your account will be deleted.
Deleted, yes! That catches a lot of people’s attention.
This is a potent deception technique used to frighten individuals into doing without thinking beforehand.
In actuality, nothing will happen once the countdown reaches zero. However, being aware of the passing seconds can make you feel a sense of urgency that prevents you from double-checking whether an email is the real deal or not.
You are inputting your information on a fake page. Criminals will take your login information and access your real account. That is a serious issue that you never want to encounter with your company.
You’ll be at risk of data theft, financial loss, or malware, as well as potentially putting other accounts at risk (if you’ve reused your password).
Even worse, your login information can be offered for sale on the dark web, allowing other cybercriminals to access your account.
Here are some basic phishing protections for you and your team.
Examine the email address from which it was sent. Verify the accuracy of the spelling and language, and hover over links to check the URL they are attempting to take you to.
It’s crucial that you change your login information right away if you suspect you’ve fallen victim to this kind of fraud. Instead of clicking a link in an email, enter the URL into your browser.
Additionally, we advise employing a password manager. For every account you have, this software generates lengthy, strong, random passwords that are impossible to decipher.
It will store these passwords for you. And autofill login boxes to save you time (yes, password managers detect when they’re being asked to fill in details on a different page, such as a fake phishing page).
Share this article with your whole team right now. And if anyone ever clicks a link they’re not sure about, ask us how to keep your business safe.