Did you know that cybercriminals are getting more sophisticated each day with the attacks that they perform? How do you strive to improve your cybersecurity and bring awareness to your staff? Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2022 helps to promote vital cybersecurity information throughout the month of October. Companies can utilize this information to help clients, leadership and even staff to learn more about cybercriminals and the threats that they can cause.
Besides focusing on behaviors that are important for your business to follow—like common practices and tips to keep you safe online—you can also familiarize yourself with common cyberattacks that your business might face.
The 6 Most Common Phishing Attacks
Many individuals worldwide continue to fall for phishing attacks because cyberthreats are really improving at disguising these clever attacks. In fact, it was reported that over 90% of data breaches occur on account of phishing attacks. All attacks start the same: a cybercriminal attempts to get the end-user to share sensitive data or click on suspicious links. Once the victim clicks on or downloads the attachment, the cyberthreat can then install malicious software on your computer.
Here are some of the most common types of phishing scams that you and your employees should be on the lookout for:
- Spoofing: When criminals disguise themselves as a trusted source to gain a victim’s confidence to get access to sensitive information.
- Spear Phishing: A method that targets specific individuals or groups within an organization to get a victim to divulge important information.
- Whaling: Also known as CEO fraud, this type of attack impersonates a CEO and is designed to encourage an employee to perform a secondary act. These acts can include transferring money, buying gift cards and so forth.
- Vishing: A cybercrime that occurs when criminals trick people into giving confidential information through deceptive phone calls.
- Smishing: When criminals utilize SMS to send a compelling text to trick targeted recipients into clicking suspicious links.
- Malvertising: An attack in which perpetrators embed codes into online advertising that redirects victims to malicious websites.
To avoid falling for a phishing attack, look for signs that might seem off. Avoid giving sensitive information over the phone and be leery of requests that don’t seem right. When viewing emails—typically—a generic greeting that doesn’t use your name or a URL that doesn’t start with “http” can be a sign not to click. When in doubt, if it looks suspicious or seems off, don’t click.
What We Can Do to Help
Data breaches can be damaging enough, and who knows where your personal or client information could end up. Successfully defending your business against cyberattacks is something to think about when your business is at risk. As Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2022 is in full swing, help learn how to better prepare your staff to get the awareness you need.
When you’re looking for a partner to help fight against cyberattacks and bring more cybersecurity awareness and training to your staff — contact us. At Pavelcomm, we are well-versed in innovative techniques that can help prepare for the unexpected.
If you want to learn more about cybersecurity awareness, check out additional blogs in our resources section.
