Phishing Attacks are on the Rise - Protect your Business

A phishing attack is when an attacker tricks an individual into revealing their credential or sensitive information – phishing attacks are on the rise.

ONS (2021) shows that those aged 25 to 44 years are most likely to be targeted
Attackers target the vulnerable and those in financially difficult situations, for example with the promise of energy or council rebates
Phishing attacks come in many forms; email, SMS/text, social media, and phone
Advance Free Fraud is significantly higher than pre-pandemic. An advance free fraud victim pays upfront for goods or services which are never delivered
Organisations can be vulnerable if employees are not fully aware of the dangers, and are trained to spot potential threats

The user could be sent an email which directs them to a fraudulent website (they look very convincing) which encourages the user to enter their credentials.

The other common strategy is for a user to open a malicious script or executables on their machine which allows the macro to download malware. This renders the individual and business vulnerable to ransomware, property sabotage and intellectual property and money theft.

How to protect your business

The cybersecurity landscape is constantly evolving which means businesses must keep one step ahead and have up-to-date defences in place to deal with the barrage of threats. A multi-layered approach, combining process, technology, and people is the most robust defence, offering multiple opportunities to spot and deal with an attack before any damage can be done.

Protect your business by:

1. Making is as difficult as possible for an attacker to reach your users. Filter and block emails before they reach your teams

2. Training users so they can spot a potential threat. Encourage users to report phishing attempts so you can build a picture of how your business is being attacked

3. Protecting against undetected phishing. Ensure your security policies are up to date and cover all remote users and apply Multi-factor Authentication (MFA) https://www.conformedia.co.uk/single-post/multi-factor-authentication-mfa

4. Having processes in place to respond quickly to a security breach. Have a plan and act quickly

How MSP can help protect against a Phishing Attack

The most efficient way for SMEs to ensure their organisation is protected is to have a Managed Service Provision. Conformedia offers clients peace of mind by taking care of IT security for your organisation. Systems are continually monitored; any issues are automatically logged and dealt with.

Protection against cyber-attacks is provided by a multi-layered approach including Antivirus, Malware and Ransomware Protection, Email Spam Filtering and Security, Firewalls and Device Encryption.

We offer flexible packages so your MSP can be modified to accommodate any changes in your business.