You've probably heard of a cyberattack known as phishing; in fact, we recently published an article that discusses the topic in more detail. This type of attack attempts to steal personal data or commit financial fraud through traps planted in fake emails, banners, advertisements, cloned websites, and other tricks . In most cases, they try to impersonate trusted companies or well-known individuals to facilitate the scam. For this reason, it has become necessary to implement effective measures against this type of threat , such as phishing anti-crisis training.
But how does this training work in practice? To help you better understand this topic, we've created this exclusive material. Stay with us!
Understanding phishing: what is the origin of this strategy?
In mid-1994, a hacker discovered a way to access the credit card information of users of America Online, a pioneering internet service provider. AOL was one of the first companies to provide internet access and was used by countless users around the world .
In partnership with other criminals, this hacker, posing as AOL employees, contacted users of the platform in chat rooms. To maintain his connection, he used information from accounts stolen in previous attacks. These stolen accounts became known as phish accounts.
Since the data involved was from real users, AOL administrators couldn't distinguish between hackers and legitimate users, making this type of approach very difficult to control. To optimize their attack, these cybercriminals created a tool called AOHell .
As he progressed and developed these traps, this type of attack became popular, and ended up being known as phishing , because it fished for information from less tech-savvy users.
Want to learn more about the concept of phishing? Check out this video:
Is phishing the same as spam?
Data security gained even more visibility after large companies became targets of cyberattacks . However, many users still have doubts about how some attacks happen, such as phishing attacks .
This shows us that anti-phishing training for employees is essential to keep company data protected.
A common question about phishing attacks is: is phishing the same as spam? The direct answer is NO!
It is very common to confuse these two practices, but they have important distinctions.
Phishing is a term used to describe a type of cyberattack aimed at scams and fraud. One of the most common methods used by criminals who carry out this type of attack is through fake emails that request confidential information from their victims.
These emails are usually disguised as emails from real companies to make users feel comfortable and end up providing their data or relevant information. This practice sets traps and uses codes that allow the theft of personal data, bank accounts, passwords, and other information.
See a very clear example below:
This is a fake email from Banco Santander, which presents content that catches the victim's attention, and also a link that requests personal information.
Emails of this type confuse the user and cause concern, leading them to distractedly click on the link and enter their data.
What are the risks associated with this type of scam?
Phishing is a very sensitive issue for companies' digital security . This is because the security tools used cannot identify all threats and cannot control user usage profiles in order to prevent potential traps.
This type of scam exploits people's vulnerabilities to carry out its frauds, making it very difficult to control its incidence. In this sense, anti-phishing training represents a very important tool in combating this type of attack.
We can see how data security has become a priority in today's world. This issue has gained much relevance in recent years, so much so that new specific legislation has been created to increase and protect digital privacy. This law establishes rules, standards, and protocols to be followed to ensure greater security for the information collected and stored by companies.
When a company falls victim to a phishing scam, it can suffer various losses , such as:
- Impact your image in the market;
- Financial losses;
- Loss of competitive positioning;
- Legal problems;
- Explanation of your business strategy;
- And many other problems.
It is essential that managers understand the importance of actions focused on information security to mitigate the problems caused by data leaks. The best way to protect companies is to rely on a combination of technology and education ; that is, to apply technological resources that help keep information secure, but also to train employees to establish an appropriate internet usage policy.
Is training important?
As we mentioned earlier, just as important as having technological tools to maintain data security is establishing a training process against phishing and preparing your employees to avoid this type of threat. It's important to practically demonstrate the main points to watch out for in identifying a phishing scam, such as:
- General greetings;
- Spelling errors;
- Known senders, but with whom we have not had frequent contact;
- Links for entering personal data;
- Unexpected emails containing information about you that can be found on social media;
- Threatening phrases;
- Sense of urgency;
- Unexpected awards;
- Among other suspicious behaviors.
It's impossible to predict what cybercriminals' objectives are with a phishing attack. Whether it's downloading a malicious file within an email attachment or entering personal information on fraudulent websites, data breaches can cause many problems for a business .
Anti-phishing training helps reduce this risk and keep company data secure. Through this training, employees will undergo a continuous education process that will help them understand what phishing is and what the warning signs are that this attack is being carried out. In this way, they will be able to determine the best actions to take in the face of this threat.
More and more companies are establishing anti-phishing training protocols to prevent the compromise of their employees' confidential information, as well as to protect their devices and prevent sensitive data from being disseminated or exposed.
When it comes to cybersecurity, it's impossible to assume that only laypeople or those lacking adequate training are potential victims. Over the years, these attacks have become increasingly effective, mainly because cybercriminals have efficient tools to clone websites and steal personal data.
So, if your company wants to keep its data secure and help its employees identify these types of attacks more easily, phishing prevention training may be the ideal solution.
The company's internet access policy (blocking websites) may be the solution
An internet access policy can be a very useful tool to help employees establish a pattern of smarter internet use within the company. With the help of this policy, the company can raise employee awareness about the importance of staying away from entertainment websites, social media, and e-commerce sites, and about the risks that this type of access can pose to the business.
In this case, the concern is not only about the productivity of these workers, but also about the security of the data used and stored by the company . To make this process even more effective, the company can also use an internet access tool to help keep these threats away from the workplace.
