Spring Phishing anyone?

It’s been a little while since I’ve talked to you about data security, but with the current world political situation and the rising amount of cybercrime occurring it seems like a good time to talk about one of the most common entry points cybercriminals use — phishing.

What is phishing? While the exact definition is rather broad, phishing is the cybercrime consisting of using social engineering (think con man techniques) to trick you into giving a scammer your personal information or benefitting them in some fashion (usually monetarily). This usually occurs in the form of an email being sent to you, but can also take the form of a phone call (vishing) or text message (smishing). While that may sound like a Dr. Seuss book, it’s a real thing. According to Ironscales, a phishing protection company, 91% of organizations around the world have experienced an increase in email phishing attacks since March 2020. The FBI’s IC3 department reports that in the past five years they have had 2.2 million complaints with $13.3 billion in total losses. Their top crime listed in the 2020 Internet Crime Report is phishing, with a total of 241,342 complaints. This is serious stuff!

So, the next time you get that urgent email from your bosses’ boss about buying a few gift cards before the weekend and mailing them somewhere, think again… More Thursday on how to recognize phishes that aren’t so obvious.