Computer & Cybersecurity for Small Businesses – Pleasant Hill: Phishing Attacks 

  Phishing attacks haven’t gone away – they’ve gotten smarter.

Phishing is a cyber-crime that has been occurring for years. Many phishing attacks are focused on small businesses because of its profitability. In this blog we will look at what phishing is, discuss how it’s become more complex and how you can protect yourself and your business.

Phishing is a type of social engineering. It is the process of sending out fake emails to convince people to disclose private data (such as financial information, social security numbers, or usernames & passwords). There are also different types of phishing: spear phishing, whaling and clone phishing. Spear phishing is when specific individuals or companies are targeted. Whaling is when spear phishing is directed at a senior executive or another high-profile target. Clone phishing is when a genuine email that has already been sent is replicated: the addressee/s and the content of the email are copied but the link or attachment from the original email is replaced with a false one.

Over the years phishing has become more complex. Many phishing emails may prompt a person to download an attachment. The attachment will usually have malicious malware that can infect the computer with ransomware,viruses, or other malware and can spread to other computers. Some phishing emails contain logos from legitimate companies to look authentic but include links to fake websites to the company they are imitating. The fake site will request personal information. Sometimes a person is directed to a legitimate website with a phony popup window prompting for personal data.

There are many things that can be done to protect yourself and your business from phishing attacks. One of the most important things is to always keep your software updated. Backing up your data is critically important.

Additionally, make sure your employees are well educated on what phishing is and how to handle phishing emails per your company policy. Always be suspicious when seeing a strange email and instead of opening any attachments or clicking on any links, go directly to the company’s website. And whenever possible, implement two-factor authentication for security.

Phishing is a crime that has been happening for years. Yet, phishing continues to be the most reported cyber-crime to the FBI. There are several different types of phishing and they are becoming more and more sophisticated. However, there are ways you can protect yourself and your small business by keeping your software updated and backing up your data.

We at Cantrell’s Computer Sales & Service can help you with  educating your employees, defending against cyber-crime and backing up your data. Contact us before you become another victim.