Key Features of Spear Phishing Attacks and 5 Measures You Can Take Against Spear Phishing
We hear about different types of phishing attacks every day. However, spear phishing is the most common method used by hackers in recent phishing attacks. Basically, in spear phishing attacks, hackers try to capture personal or credit card information data by sending e-mails to spear individuals or organizations. That’s why we give you 5 measures you can take against spear phishing.
Before carrying out the attack, the hackers collect the target’s personal details, such as frequently visited locations, birthplace, friends, and online purchase information. They analyze the person they’re targeting so well that they trap them by sending personalized messages. The target clicks on the link in the message without thinking, and cybercriminals can easily hack the target’s credit card information and steal their money.
The only goal of hackers in phishing attacks is not to steal personal data. They may also infiltrate your system and disable your personal information. Even competing companies can control or eliminate your important data in this way.
It is crucial to take all necessary measures to protect yourself and your company against spear phishing attacks. Now that we’ve learned what these cyberattacks can lead to, it’s time to learn about the measures we can take to avoid getting caught in these attacks.
Here are 5 Measures You Can Take Against Spear Phishing Attacks
1. Do not share personal information publicly on the Internet.
Sharing personal information is at the top of our list of 5 measures you can take against spear phishing. It would be best if you were very careful about the personal information you give to websites. In particular, you should avoid publicly sharing your phone number or personal information associated with your bank accounts on any social media or website.
If you suspect that your personal information has been compromised, you can scan the internet using our Threat Intelligence tool.
2. Be cautious when posting on social media.
Social media ranks second in our list of 5 measures you can take against spear phishing. Nowadays, especially during the quarantine period, everyone posts on their social media accounts to socialize online. But it is very dangerous to share everything on our social media accounts, especially publicly. Before sharing, you should consider that the information you share can be used against you. You shouldn’t accept friend requests from people you don’t know just to gain followers.
3. Check the antivirus and other protection software you use.
Software updates come third in our list of 5 measures you can take against spear phishing. There are loopholes that hackers can exploit in outdated or faulty software. These make it easy for attackers to capture your sensitive data. That’s why we recommend that you keep track of software updates and update your system.
Also, you can test your technologies using our Email Gap Analysis tool. Our tool constantly checks your firewalls, anti-virus, and anti-spam software. It helps you find vulnerabilities in software and take appropriate steps efficiently and effectively.
4. Do not open links or attachments in messages from someone you do not know or from a company.
The next item on our list of 5 measures you can take against spear phishing is e-mail links. The best advice we can give you about spear phishing attacks is that you should not click on email links and attachments from people you do not know. In this case, you can hover your mouse over the link to see if the address in the email matches the link address. If the URL that comes up does not match the address written in the e-mail, this may be a fake e-mail.
You can report fraudulent e-mails using our Threat Sharing tool. In this way, you will inform other employees of your company.
5. Don’t forget to back up important information on your device.
In the last place of our list of 5 measures you can take against spear phishing comes backing up data. You should always backup your data on your computer. If your data is deleted or encrypted in any attack, you can restore your information from a backup. If you fall victim to a ransomware attack and hackers demand money to restore your data, you don’t have to pay. You can also hire a cyber security company to track your backups.
“This post is originally published at www.phishing.org.uk”
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