The Latest Phishing Attacks & How Businesses Fall for Them

The Latest Phishing Attacks & How Businesses Fall for Them

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and we’re taking a closer look at the latest phishing attacks and what leads businesses to fall for them.

Did you know that 90% of successful data breaches begin with phishing scams? Since the term as we know it was first used in the late 1990s, phishing has evolved into cybercriminals’ most tried and true methods of stealing sensitive information or data from unsuspecting users and their businesses. They are costly, they are constantly evolving into new shapes, and they aren’t going anywhere. Some of the most recent and most prevalent attempts at phishing that we’ve seen have included:

• Brand Exploitation Phishing: In this scam, phishers posed as trusted brands to scam users into giving them an open gateway through which they can penetrate sensitive information and install malware on their devices. In recent attacks surrounding panic created by the COVID-19 pandemic, scammers posed as the Center for Disease Control and the World Health Organization.
• Healthcare Phishing: Phishers posed as trusted healthcare organizations and targeted healthcare provider credentials through fake surveys and seminars.
• CEO Fraud Phishing: This is similar to brand exploitation phishing, but this scam targets high-level executives of organizations, as opposed to those that they serve. One attack earlier this year was due to a compromised cloud-based business email.

While they may appear different at face value, most phishing schemes essentially work the same way and have the same goal: stealing information from your business.

So, if they’ve been around for years, we know so much about them, and there is so much available information surrounding cybersecurity, then why are the latest phishing attacks still posing concerning threats to businesses?

Some businesses fail to emphasize the importance of cybersecurity etiquette.

It’s easy to throw words like “cybersecurity” or “phishing” or “cybercriminals” around all day, but what do they actually mean for a business and its information? They can’t be that dangerous, right?

Wrong.

When employees are constantly bombarded with overstimulation of messages on a daily basis, it becomes all too easy for them to become detached from the grim reality that these types of threats pose. “Out of sight, out of mind” just doesn’t cut it when it comes to the latest phishing scams, and employees must be on guard at all times. How? With cybersecurity awareness training.

Some businesses fail to properly train employees on cybersecurity awareness.

Suppose an employee doesn’t know how to identify and avoid phishing scams. How can they be expected to stand on the front lines between their business and cybercriminals who are constantly changing the way they are trying to steal from it? Cybersecurity awareness training puts everyone on the same page and teaches them how to identify and avoid malicious content, even when it is indiscernible from the rest of the messages flooding their inboxes.

Some businesses fail to make cybersecurity awareness a natural part of their employees’ workday rhythms.

Cybersecurity awareness training isn’t something we can just shove into our minds’ metaphorical “junk” drawers once it’s complete. Cybersecurity awareness is the only way to combat the latest phishing attacks, and refining it should become as natural as opening your email in the morning.

Phishing attacks may be evolving and becoming more sophisticated, but that doesn’t mean your business has to fall for them. Contact Blue Layer today to learn how our cybersecurity awareness training can transform your employees into impenetrable human firewalls!