How to Recognize a Phishing Email? How to Respond to It?

When people work a lot, often go to meetings, and correspond with clients all the time, they get used to quickly review messages without going into details. At the same time, not everyone is well aware of the latest cyber threats and cannot immediately recognize them. In fact, these employees are ideal victims of phishing. Without noticing that the letter is malicious, the victim can give cybercriminals access to the corporate network and confidential information. By going to a phishing site, through carelessness, a person can lose a decent amount.

Successful phishing attacks can be very costly for a company. They put important data at risk, which may include private customer data, which can seriously damage your reputation.

It is important for employees to understand how phishing works, to be able to recognize phishing emails right away and to know what to do if they encounter it.

How Are Phishing Emails Spread?

Most phishing scams are targeted at a specific company. It is much easier for cybercriminals to gain access to valuable information through employees than to hack into the system on their own.

The success of a phishing campaign depends on three factors:

• The sender of the letter must inspire confidence
• The letter must contain reliable facts
• The request in the letter should be logical, addressed to a specific person

Attackers carefully prepare for their attacks: these are not random mailings. Cybercriminals study information about the company and its employees so that the letter does not raise any suspicions. Often, phishing emails are sent not to ordinary employees, but to managers who have access to more information. As a rule, such letters contain an urgent request that requires immediate action from the manager.

What Should Alert Employees?

There are some hint signs in emails that you need to check. If an email contains several such signs, it is most likely a phishing email. Pay attention to the following factors:

• Did this letter come from someone with whom you correspond frequently?
• Did you expect to receive letters on this topic from this employee? (If accounting regularly reminds you of invoicing a client and then unexpectedly asks for something completely different, it's best to check it out)
• Is there an urgent request in the letter that requires immediate action?
• Is this a standard request or an unusual one?
• Is the writing style consistent with the normal sender's style?
• Does the letter match your corporate style?
• Have your colleagues received similar emails?
• Hover over the link to see what it shows - it could be a fake link or a suspicious URL shortening

If something confuses you about an email, check the sender's email address. For example, you may see that the sender's name is familiar to you, but the email address is not his.

How to Respond to a Suspicious Email?

If you are sure that the email you received is a phishing email, do not open attachments, follow the links in the email, or reply to it. Needless to say, you can send passwords or credentials by mail.

Forward the letter to IT or security. If your company doesn't have them, tell your management about it. It is important to warn the rest of the employees: it is possible that attackers will send similar letters to other employees.

Company security does not begin or end with an information security expert or IT department. Cybercriminals often target the weakest link - the frontline employee. Therefore, everyone needs to be aware of the latest threats and tactics that cybercriminals use to keep the company safe. Also, the device should be well protected with complete security software.