What is phishing?

Phishing is a type of cyber attack that uses fraudulent emails, text messages, or phone calls to trick individuals into giving away sensitive information or performing actions that could compromise their personal or professional security. In this blog post, we will discuss what phishing is, the different types of phishing attacks, and the steps you can take to protect yourself from a phishing attack.

Phishing attacks use a variety of tactics to trick individuals into giving away sensitive information. One of the most common types of phishing attacks is an email that appears to be from a legitimate organization, such as a bank or online retailer. These emails typically contain a link or attachment that, when clicked, will take the user to a website designed to steal their information. Other types of phishing attacks include phone scams and text message scams.

To protect yourself from a phishing attack, it's important to be aware of these tactics and to know how to identify them. One of the best ways to protect yourself is to be skeptical of unsolicited emails, phone calls, and messages. If you are unsure about the legitimacy of an email, phone call, or message, do not respond to it and do not click on any links or attachments. Additionally, be sure to hover over the links in the email and check the URL before clicking on it.

Another important step is to keep your personal information private. This includes not sharing personal information over the phone, email, or social media, and not responding to unsolicited requests for personal information. Additionally, be sure to use strong, unique passwords for all of your online accounts and to use multi-factor authentication whenever possible.

It's also important to educate yourself and your employees about the risks of phishing and how to protect against it. This includes providing training on how to recognize phishing emails and phone scams, and how to avoid falling for pretexting.

In conclusion, Phishing is a type of cyber attack that uses fraudulent emails, text messages, or phone calls to trick individuals into giving away sensitive information or performing actions that could compromise their personal or professional security. To protect yourself from a phishing attack, it's important to be aware of these tactics and to know how to identify them, be skeptical of unsolicited emails, phone calls, and messages, hover over the links in the email and check the URL before clicking on it, keep your personal information private, use strong, unique passwords for all of your online accounts, use multi-factor authentication whenever possible, and educate yourself and your employees about the risks of phishing and how to protect against it. Additionally, companies should also consider purchasing cyber-insurance that can help with the cost of recovering from a phishing attack.