What does a surge in phishing attacks look like? (Part 3 of 3)
WHAT DOES A SURGE IN PHISHING ATTACKS LOOK LIKE? (PART 3 OF 3) – A CREATIVE EXAMPLE THAT MIGHT CATCH YOU
In Parts 1 and 2 of this series, I looked at what phishing websites are, and what the surge in phishing attacks looks like and means to a business. In this part, let’s see how creative the attackers are becoming to get you to click on something.
Have you come into contact with somebody infected with COVID-19?
In this news article from Ottawa (where I live), the police just reported on a phishing attack that appeared to be a local hospital trying to tell an individual that they had come into contact with a person infected with COVID-19. This would be a pretty scary message to receive.
The recipient first thought of where they might have been in contact with a group of people. Sure enough, there had been a gathering of people he had worked with. It’s almost like astrology — a well-written message can be plausible, without the sender knowing anything about you.
Remember that attackers will not hesitate to sink to new lows, legally, morally or ethically, to try to exploit your emotions and sense of decency. You have to know how to spot risks these days, as there is no way for authorities to bring the attackers to justice, or even identify them, in most cases.
…End of 3 Part Series.
What Click Armor can do to help you avoid phishing websites
Click Armor’s Continuous Cybersecurity Platform addresses the critical issue of phishing and social engineering at attacks on employees and individuals using the Internet. We use an innovative form of gamification that makes learning about cybersecurity more engaging, to help you learn through fun challenges and simulations. As an employee at one of our customers put it:
“The gamification makes it so engaging and more motivating to learn. I’ve referenced it billions of times.”
Click Armor’s new personal phishing vulnerability challenge called “Can I Be Phished?” will help you assess your own ability to spot phishing attacks. Our COVID-19 edition simulates good and bad pandemic related messages. You can TRY IT now at: www.canibephished.com