Cyberattacks are on the rise, and businesses of all sizes are at risk. In fact, more than 40 percent of cyberattacks target small businesses.
When you think of cyberattacks, you might think of viruses. Phishing is actually the most common threat facing any business today.
If you’re wondering how to prevent phishing attacks, this quick guide will bring you up to speed. These five tips will help you keep your business safer.
1. Your Employees Are the Biggest Threat
If you’re wondering how to prevent phishing, you need to start with your team. Human beings are often the weakest link in the security chain. Phishing attacks exploit that fact.
Phishing is a type of social engineering, which is designed to prey on people’s trust. By posing as a trusted entity, cybercriminals can get people to turn over information.
Recognizing that your team members are the biggest threat is key to preventing these attacks.
2. How to Prevent Phishing Attacks through Training
The next step to preventing phishing attacks is to train people to recognize them. Most phishing scams are easy to spot.
Cybercriminals may spoof a trusted website or send out an email that looks like official communication. There are often subtle clues that you’re looking at a scam. Why would someone working for Netflix send out an email from a Gmail address?
Web addresses, logos, and even poor spelling and grammar can give scams away.
3. Establish Good Cybersecurity Protocols
Learning to recognize phishing attacks is one step to preventing them. Good cybersecurity protocols are another method for how to protect against phishing.
These protocols include asking team members to change their passwords often. Even if a cybercriminal gets their hands on a password, it will quickly become outdated.
You can also ask team members to take precautions. They shouldn’t be clicking links or downloading attachments from senders they don’t know. Instead of clicking a link in an email, they can go to the company’s website themselves.
They should also report any suspicious emails they receive. Blocking spam senders can be another important step to better protection against phishing.
4. Use the Right Technology Stack
As mentioned, humans are often the weakest link in the security chain. Even with the right training, smart people can still fall for a spoofed website or a scam email. Even cybersecurity professionals click links they shouldn’t!
The right technology can help to protect you in these instances. The right software can help identify and even block phishing scams, as detailed in this post.
The right software can keep you safer by blocking access to certain sites. It can even prevent emails from reaching your team’s inboxes in the first place.
5. Stay Up to Date with New Scams
You can learn how to protect against phishing today. Cybercriminals are always changing up their methods. As a result, phishing attacks are becoming even more sophisticated.
Staying up to date with trends will keep you on your toes. You’ll be in a better position to spots these scams.
Keeping your technology up to date is a good idea as well. As scams become more sophisticated, so too will software need to evolve.
Get Trusted Security Advice
Phishing is one of the most common types of cybercrime. With these five tips for how to prevent phishing attacks, you’re better prepared to keep your business safe.
Looking for more tips to stay safe online? Check out more in our archives. From upping the security on your Mac to keeping your Bitcoin investment secure, we have plenty of great advice.
