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What is phishing?

Phishing is currently the most common method used in cyber attacks against businesses. The attackers’ aim is to trick users into revealing passwords, bank details or other sensitive information, or into clicking on malicious links and attachments. Today’s phishing emails are often very convincing and can mimic well-known services such as Microsoft 365, BankID, Google and SharePoint. Often, a single click is enough to cause major problems for the business.

How does a phishing attack work?

Attackers use many different methods to deceive their victims. Common examples include:

• Fake login pages for Microsoft 365, BankID or Google.
• Intercepted or forged email conversations from customers, suppliers or colleagues.
• Fake invoices and delivery notifications from, for example, PostNord, DHL or Klarna.
• Fake sharing via Teams, OneDrive or SharePoint.
• Social engineering via telephone calls, known as ‘vishing’, or via text messages, known as ‘smishing’.
• Real-time attacks in which one-off codes are intercepted whilst the user is logging in.

The aim is almost always the same – to take over accounts, steal information or install malware that could lead to ransomware, for example.

How can you spot phishing?

Although phishing emails are becoming increasingly sophisticated, there are several warning signs to look out for.

• Emails that cause stress by using phrases such as ”act immediately” or ”your account will be closed”.
• Links that lead to a website other than the one shown in the email.
• Language or phrasing that seems unusual to the sender.
• Unexpected attachments or document shares.
• Sender addresses that resemble genuine domains but contain minor differences.

If something feels wrong, it’s almost always worth checking one more time before you click.

How the company protects itself against phishing

Protecting yourself against phishing involves both technology and behaviour. Some of the most important measures are:

• Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) on all your important accounts.
• Use modern email security solutions that block malicious emails before they reach your inbox.
• Make sure that computers, mobile phones and software are always up to date.
• Provide regular training for staff so that they learn to recognise phishing attempts.
• Have clear procedures in place for how suspicious emails should be reported and dealt with.

Phishing can be prevented

No organisation can stop all phishing attempts, but companies that combine training, modern security solutions and clear procedures are in a much better position to withstand today’s cyber threats. When staff know what to look out for and the business has the right safeguards in place, the risk of both data breaches and costly security incidents is reduced.

Would you like to strengthen your company’s defences against phishing and other cyber threats? Contact Rely IT and we’ll help you with IT security, email security, training and security solutions to protect your business.

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