It is not by chance we keep getting pounded with phishing type attacks. Every day these attacks are taking place and every day, someone is falling for them. The security of your network depends on your employees training and knowledge. They come in many shapes and sizes, but they all have four things in common – four things that make us vulnerable and keeps the threat actors coming back for more.
- Fear
Psychological tactics have a way of affecting us all. This tactic hopes to catch you off guard and get you to act before you think about what is being presented. The recent pandemic has made everyone a bit uncomfortable, and the threat actors have responded knowing you have enough going on and maybe, just maybe, you can be caught off guard and respond to threat vehicles you may not normally interact with.
- Emotions
Phishing attacks leverage your emotional appeal. This is the elixir in a successful attack because we feel and act on emotions quite often. And once again the recent pandemic can be accused of piling on and exasperating our emotions and the threat actors are right there hoping for another opportunity.
- Vulnerability
Phishing is a socio-technical type attack. When an attacker has cloaked themselves as a trustworthy source, victims can be easily swayed into doing things they would not normally do, such as accessing an email link or responding to a phone call from some “representative” of some business you may trust. A phishing vulnerability assessment can be used to help determine any weaknesses within your staff.
- Easy to Manipulate
Our brains are wired to take shortcuts. If we as humans need to think everything through, step by step, and take those steps, we may not get anything accomplished. So, we take mental shortcuts, known as heuristics. Because of this, we are more susceptible to things, like phishing emails. We may read parts and allow our brains to fill in the rest and that may lead us down the wrong patch.
All the points noted above keep the threat actors in business. If your business is not taking steps to protect itself, I can assure you the threat actors are there to take advantage in that lapse of education. Do you have Cyber Security Insurance? If you do, then you likely are required to attend annual security training. Contact ION Technology Group today at service@iontg.com or 1.856.719.1818 x206 and schedule your annual Cyber Security Insurance training and stay a few steps ahead of the threat actors while meeting your training goals.
