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Phishing

Phishing is a form of cyberattack that involves sending fake messages or emails to trick users into revealing their personal or financial information, or installing malware on their devices.

Phishing is one of the most common and dangerous types of cyberattacks today, as it can lead to identity theft, fraud, ransomware, or data breaches.

Some statistics on phishing are

• Nearly 1.2% of all emails sent are malicious, which translates to 3.4 billion phishing emails daily
• Phishing attacks are expected to extort over 33 million records by 2023, with a ransomware or phishing attack occurring every 11 seconds
• Loaders account for over 50% of phishing attacks, followed by credential phishing and scareware
• Social media brands are the most impersonated in phishing attacks in Q1 2022, followed by financial institutions and cloud services
• There were over 1 million phishing attempts in Q1 2022, an increase of 12.5% from Q4 2021
• Almost 70% of phishing emails have no subject line
• The United States is the most targeted country by phishing attacks, followed by Brazil and India
• The online industries most targeted by phishing attacks in Q3 2022 are SaaS/webmail, payment services, and financial institutions
• Phishing is a serious threat that requires awareness and vigilance from users and organizations

What can you do

• Be careful about opening emails or texts from unknown or suspicious senders. Do not click on links or attachments that look suspicious or ask for your personal information. If you are not sure, contact the sender directly using a different method, such as a phone call or a trusted website
• Use spam filters and antivirus software to block potential phishing messages and malware. Keep your software updated and scan your devices regularly
• Check the sender’s email address and the website’s URL carefully. Phishing messages often use fake or spoofed addresses that look similar to the real ones, but have slight differences, such as misspellings or extra characters. For example, an email from your bank might come from [email protected], but a phishing email might come from [email protected] or [email protected]
• Look for signs of poor grammar, spelling, or formatting in the message. Phishing messages often have errors or inconsistencies that make them look unprofessional or illegitimate. For example, the message might have a generic greeting, such as “Dear Customer”, instead of your name, or use a different font, color, or logo than the official one
• Do not share your personal or financial information online unless you are sure of the source and the security. Only enter your information on websites that have a secure connection, indicated by a lock icon or “https” in the address bar. Do not reply to emails or texts that ask for your passwords, account numbers, or Social Security numbers. Legitimate companies will never ask for this information via email or text
• Regularly check your bank statements, credit reports, and online accounts for any unauthorized or suspicious activity. If you notice anything unusual, report it to your bank, credit card company, or the relevant authority as soon as possible. You can also freeze your credit or place a fraud alert on your credit reports to prevent identity thieves from opening new accounts in your name
• Educate yourself and others about the latest phishing trends and techniques. You can visit websites like Consumer Advice or Phish Protection to learn more about how to recognize and avoid phishing scams. You can also report phishing attempts to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) or the Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) to help them stop the scammers