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How to Avoid Spear Phishing Attacks

Spear phishing is a favorite strategy used by hackers and scammers. This is a case since through this technique they are able to target the large organizations. Spear phishing allows that the security measures employed by these organizations are bypassed and henceforth unauthorized access to the organization's network and confidential data.

The spear phishing messages and emails are seen to come from trusted sources but when opened portend a whole different scenario.

Spear phishing vs. phishing vs. whaling

This familiarity is what sets spear phishing apart from regular phishing attacks. Phishing emails are typically sent by a known contact or organization. These include a malicious link or attachment that installs malware on the target's device, or directs the target to a malicious website that is set up to trick them into giving sensitive information like passwords, account information or credit card information.

Spear phishing has the same goal as normal phishing, but the attacker first gathers information about the intended target. This information is used to personalize the spear-phishing attack. Instead of sending the phishing emails to a large group of people, the attacker targets a select group or an individual. By limiting the targets, it's easier to include personal information -- like the target's first name or job title -- and make the malicious emails seem more trustworthy.

The same personalized technique is used in whaling attacks, as well. A whaling attack is a spear-phishing attack directed specifically at high-profile targets like C-level executives, politicians, and celebrities. Whaling attacks are also customized to the target and use the same social-engineering, email-spoofing and content-spoofing methods to access sensitive data...to read more, visit - TechTarget.

These are some of the tips and tricks that you can use to avoid spear phishing:

Take advantage of artificial intelligence (AI)

Find a solution that detects and blocks spear phishing attacks including BEC and brand impersonation that may not include malicious links or attachments. Machine learning tools can analyze communication patterns in an organization and spot any anomalies that may be signs of an attack.

Don't rely solely on traditional security

Traditional email security that uses blacklists for spear phishing and brand impersonation detect may not protect against zero-day links found in many attacks.

Deploy account-takeover protection

Find tools that use AI to recognize when accounts may have been compromised, to avoid more spear phishing attacks from originating from those accounts...visit - TechRepublic to know more.

Avoid sending personal information

Legitimate businesses very rarely ask for personal information via email. If you receive an email or SMS asking you to give details such as your address, social security number, or banking info in the body of an email or text message, it is very likely a phishing attempt.

A genuine email will typically either provide the address of a site to go to (with no link), provide a link to click, or give you a number to call. Bear in mind, all of these scenarios could also be more sophisticated phishing tactics, so should be verified (more on that below).

Verify suspicious requests

If you have suspicions about an email or other message, don’t visit the site or call the number provided. If you think it may be authentic but are unsure, you can try to verify it first.

One way to do this is to simply run a search for the email or phone number provided. If it’s a known scam, chances are you’ll see results stating as much.

Another, more reliable, method of verification is to simply call or email the company to check if it’s a real request. However, you should contact the company via a phone number or email from its actual website, not the contact information found in the email...to get more info, visit - comparitech.

Adopt the Right Tools

The best defense is a good offense, so having an arsenal of technologies to prevent phishing emails from getting into a system are key. Strong encryption, modern anti-malware, data loss prevention tools and automated email client health checks are a good place to start when it comes to enhancing email security.

Stay on Top of Threats and Vulnerabilities

You can’t protect against the threats you don’t know are out there, so be sure to stay on top of the latest cybersecurity threats and trends. For small businesses without a dedicated IT team, advisors and third-party entities such as vendor partners can be an amazing resource to help fill in the gaps...get more info over at - BizTech.

Spear phishing has tremendously profited criminals more than plain phishing alone. It is especially tricky because identity thieves invest so much time and effort in obtaining pieces of personal information about their potential victims so that in return the recipients will think that the e-mail message is legitimate. Visit - https://duocircle.com/ to know more about spear phishing attacks and how to protect against them.