Originating from the English term "fishing," meaning "to fish" or "to catch," phishing is a type of cyberattack where data is stolen or information is diverted through traps or scams that can be sent via social media, phone, or fake websites. Phishing emails can often be disguised as those of a trusted company or someone known to the victim.
Although it can be carried out in different ways, phishing emails are the most common form of this type of attack. In 2020, due to the emergence and increased use of the Caixa Tem app (used to withdraw government aid), this type of attack became even more popular.
The launch of Pix as a payment method also opened a major door for a new wave of phishing attacks.
Online traps: how does phishing work?
Contrary to popular belief, phishing attacks are not entirely random; they involve extensive prior planning. Using technological resources and a methodology called social engineering, phishing attacks exploit user vulnerabilities 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-crafted emails, and fraudulent websites, criminals are able to collect confidential information without the user's consent , who believes they are sending this information to a legitimate company or person.
For this strategy to be effective, cybercriminals need to develop the perfect trap. By thinking about the bait, they can devise a device that can confuse these users and lead them to provide confidential data. In this case, cybercriminals can obtain confidential data ranging from personal documents to tax information about the company.
This data is used to access accounts, create fake identities, commit financial fraud, or some other type of crime. Often, criminals may collect this data and demand payment to return it , a practice called ransomware.
The importance of the LGPD (Brazilian General Data Protection Law)
When discussing data security, it's impossible not to mention the General Data Protection Law (LGPD), a law created to increase security and guarantee the protection of data stored, collected, and handled by a company. One of the most important aspects of this legislation is data security. It establishes the responsibilities and obligations of the company regarding confidential data.
The LGPD (Brazilian General Data Protection Law) has brought greater security to users by establishing efficient rules and protocols for the protection of confidential information stored and handled by companies. Although the adaptation period to this new legislation has been very challenging for companies, the criteria established in the law serve as a paradigm for the secure storage of information.
However, even though this law has transformed digital security in Brazil, many risks still exist that can compromise the confidentiality of information, such as phishing attacks and other types of attacks.
And in that sense, nobody is safe. The Superior Court of Justice (STJ), for example, has already experienced a cyberattack that left its systems unavailable for a week. JBS even paid 11 million reais in ransom after a ransomware attack.
Therefore, we can see that the vulnerability of companies is not limited to the size or type of business. And when we deal with phishing attacks, these signs become even more evident, because we are facing the vulnerability of users and not of the company's systems.
From this, we can understand that all companies in all sectors, regardless of size, can be potential victims of some type of attack or fraud.
Who can be targeted by phishing?
As we mentioned earlier, there is no specific target audience for a phishing attack . For this reason, it is extremely important for companies to invest in training to prepare their employees more intelligently.
Here are some signs that your company may be facing a phishing email:
- Although you recognize the sender, they are not someone you are in frequent contact with. Even if the sender of this message is familiar, it is important to be suspicious if it is someone with whom you do not maintain a constant relationship. This is especially true if the email content is very personal or relates to information about your routine that the sender would not be aware of.
- If the email content contains a threatening and frightening message, cybercriminals commonly use an alarmist tone to make their victims fall for the scam more easily. These phishing emails often have an imperative tone that asks you to click on a link or take immediate action in a given situation.
- If the message contains any seemingly unusual or unexpected attachments. If you received an email from someone you know but don't keep in frequent contact with, and they are sending photos from a particular party or trip, be wary. There is a high possibility that it is a phishing email.
- Be wary of links that look suspicious or faded. Even if your email meets all the previously mentioned criteria without raising suspicion, before clicking on a link, hover your cursor over it to verify the actual URL. It's also important to pay attention to spelling errors on websites that seem familiar, such as those of stores, banks, and companies.
Is it possible to protect oneself?
We have seen in this article that phishing email attacks can cause numerous problems for a business , leading to widespread panic among users. For this reason, it is important that company employees undergo training to better prepare them to identify these threats . Furthermore, to avoid an attack, there are some important tips to consider, such as:
Invest in information security.
Although phishing email attacks exploit user vulnerabilities to succeed, there are tools that can help you keep your information secure. In addition to antivirus software that can identify malicious files in attachments, you can also use an internet control and blocking system.
With the help of this tool, even if cybercriminals create copies of frequently accessed pages, your employees will not be able to access or provide confidential information.
Train your employees
Raising awareness about the importance of maintaining a secure online presence within the company is crucial for ensuring data security. Ideally, the company should begin this preparation and training process as soon as the employee starts their work .
Furthermore, workers also need to be aware of the main types of attacks that can be carried out in order to know the best approaches depending on the threat.
Strengthen the importance of information security in your company's culture.
Along with training employees, it is essential that managers continually reinforce this message so that everyone understands the importance of a safer approach and the value of information confidentiality. The more your employees know about the importance of data protection, the easier it will be to implement a safe internet usage policy.
Technology can help.
In addition to security software, which is essential for ensuring the protection of stored data , the company can rely on technological tools that help to have more assertive control over the type of access that is carried out on the internet.
An internet blocking system is much more than just ensuring greater worker productivity: this feature allows managers to understand user usage patterns and apply more specific access rules to guarantee company security.
Given the many serious consequences that can result from a phishing email, it is essential to adopt all available measures to increase data protection . Do you know how secure your company is? Check out this tool and find out!
