Originated from the term Fishing in English, which means "fishing" or "hook", phishing is a type of cyber attack where data is stolen or information is diverted through traps or can be sent by social networks, telephone or fake sites. Phishing email can often come masked as a reliable company, or someone from the victim's conviviality.
Although it can be done in different ways, Phishing email is the most common way for this type of attack. In the year 2020, due to the emergence and expansion of the use of the Caixa application has (used for government assistance withdrawal) this type of attack became even more popular.
The release of Pix as a payment modality was also a large gateway to a new wave of phishing attacks.
Online traps: How does phishing work?
Unlike what the vast majority of people believe, the phishing attack is not totally random, involving great prior planning. Using technological resources and a methodology called Social Engineering, phishing attack uses the user's own vulnerability to obtain the victim's data. To understand how social engineering is used in this type of attack, check out this content:
Through elaborate messages, well-built emails and fraudulent websites, criminals can collect confidential information without user consent , who thinks they are sending this information to a company or legitimate person.
For this strategy to be efficient, cybercriminals need to develop the perfect trap. Thinking about the bait, they can establish a device that can confuse these users and lead them to provide sensitive data. In this case, cybercriminals can obtain confidential data that can go from personal documents to tax information about the company.
These data are used to access accounts, create false identities, financial fraud or some other type of crime. Often criminals can collect this data and request a payment to return it , a practice called ransomware.
The importance of LGPD
When it comes to data security, it is impossible not to mention the general data protection law , which is a law created to increase security and ensure the protection of stored data collected and manipulated by a company. One of the most important points of this legislation is data security. It establishes company responsibilities and obligations regarding confidential data.
LGPD has brought more security to users by establishing efficient standards and protocols to protect the confidential information stored and manipulated by companies. Although the period of adaptation to this new legislation has been very challenging for companies, the criteria established by the law serve as a paradigm for secure information storage.
However, even if this law has turned digital security in Brazil, there are still many risks that can impair the confidentiality of information, such as the phishing attack and other modalities.
And in that sense no one is safe. The STJ, for example, has already undergone a cyber attack that led its systems to be available for a week. JBS even paid 11 million reais in a rescue against a ransomware attack.
Thus, we can see that the vulnerability of companies is not restricted to the size or type of business. And when dealing with phishing attacks, these signs are even more evident, as we are facing the vulnerability of users and not the company's systems.
We can understand, therefore, that all companies in all segments, regardless of size, can be victims of potential attack or fraud.
Who can be the target of phishing?
As we mentioned earlier, there is no target audience for a phishing attack . For this reason, it is extremely important that the company invests in training to prepare its employees more intelligently.
Here are some signs that your business may be facing a phishing email:
- Although you know the sender is not someone you keep contact with frequent. Even if the sender of this message is familiar, it is important that you suspect if you are a person you do not have a constant relationship. Especially if the content of the email has a very personal character or is related to information from your routine on which the sender would not be aware.
- If email content contains a threatening and frightening message, it is common for cybercriminals to use an alarmist tone to make your victim fall more easily in the blow. These phishing emails often contain an imperative tone that asks you to access a link or adopt an immediate posture in the face of a situation.
- If the message contains any apparently unusual or unexpected attachment. If you have received an email from a person who is your acquaintance, but do not keep in touch with frequent, and are sending photos of a particular party or trip, keep alert. There is a great possibility of a phishing email.
- Beware of links that look suspicious or a little deleted. Even if your email goes through all the previously cited criteria without suspicions, before clicking on a link sent Cursor to check what is the true URL. It is also important to be aware of spelling errors on sites that seem familiar, such as stores, banks and companies.
Is it possible to protect yourself?
We could see in this article that attacks through a phishing email can bring numerous problems for a business , causing a great panic among users. For this reason, it is important for companies to undergo training that best prepare them to identify these threats . Also, to avoid an attack, there are some important tips that should be taken into consideration, such as:
Invest in Information Security
Although the phishing email attack uses users vulnerability to succeed, there are some tools that can help you maintain information security. In addition to antivirus software that can identify the presence of attached malicious files, you can also have an internet control and lock system.
With the help of this tool, even if cybercriminals create copies of much accessed pages, their employees will not be able to access or provide confidential information.
Train your employees
Awareness of the importance of a safe posture within the company's internet is of utmost importance to help maintain data security. Ideally, the company should start this preparation and training process as soon as the employee starts his activities .
In addition, workers also need to know the main types of attacks that can be performed to find out the best approaches according to the threat.
Strengthen the importance of information security in your company's culture
Together with workers training, it is essential that managers continuously reinforce this message so that everyone understands the importance of a safer posture and the value of the confidentiality of information. The more your employees know about the importance of data protection, the easier it will be to implement a secure internet use policy.
Technology can help
In addition to security software that is essential to ensure the protection of stored data , the company can count on technological tools that help you have more assertive control over the type of access that is performed on the internet.
An Internet lock system is much more than just to ensure greater workers productivity: this feature allows managers to know user use standards and be able to apply more specific access rules to ensure company security.
Given so many serious consequences that may result from a phishing email, it is essential to adopt all available measures to increase data protection . Do you know how the security of your business is? Check out this tool and find out!
