Phishing, vishing and smishing. These might sound like completely made up words, but in actual fact all three are in the English dictionary and they’re words that a business owner or manager should very much be aware of.

The truth is you’ve probably heard the word phishing lots. It’s called phishing because the cyber criminal is trying to catch you, like a fish and email is the virtual bait. When a victim becomes hooked (they click on a link or open an attachment), their device and potentially their whole network can become infected. Causing all sorts of damage.

Unfortunately, phishing attacks are on the rise. Last year 85% of businesses reported that they experienced a phishing attack, which is up 28% from 2020. Experts predict there will be an additional 6 billion attacks this year. Scary stuff.

So, we all understand what phishing is, but that are the other types of this cyber crime that we need to stay alert for:

Pop-up phishing

It does what it says on the tin, it is pop up that appears on your device. It may suggest there is a problem with your security and ask you to click on a button to download a file, or it may even ask you to call a number for help.

Spoofing 

Spoofing is when the criminal is disguising to look like a trusted brand in order to steak your credentials. This could be in the form of a fake website, phone number or text message.

Evil Twin phishing 

This is when a cyber criminal sets up a fake Wi-Fi access point to gain sensitive credentials. When you log in to what you think is a trusted Wi-Fi point, your data is then stolen without your knowledge.

Angler phishing 

This is a new type of phishing where cyber criminals pretend to be customer support staff on trusted brands social media channels. They trick unhappy customers into giving away their credentials by promising to rectify their issues.

Smishing 

Just the same as phishing, but via SMS instead of email.

Vishing 

Again, just like phishing, but instead of across your email account, it comes in the form of a phone call. The cyber criminal will pretend to be from a trusted source and ask for either remote access on your device or ask you to visit a website.

New methods of attack are being formed all the time in order to catch businesses out and steal your data and ultimately your money.

We’re a cyber security focused managed service provider who sees these types of attacks daily and we would recommend you do two things to protect your business from these types of attack.

Firstly, speak to an IT partner about cyber protection software, you’ll be surprised at how affordable this actually is, often just a small price per month. Secondly, educate your staff on these types of attacks.

Your staff can be your first line of defense if you train them regularly. Why not start by sharing this blog post with your team and asking them to read it.

If you want to speak to us about other ways you can keep your business safe from these attacks, call us now on 01392 796 779 or email us.