Originating from the term fishing in English, which means “fishing” or “hooking”, phishing is a type of cyber attack where data is stolen or information is diverted through traps or which can be sent via social networks, telephone or websites fake. Phishing emails can often come disguised as a trusted company, or someone close to the victim.
Although it can be carried out in different ways, phishing email is the most common form for this type of attack. In 2020, due to the emergence and expansion of the use of the Caixa Tem application (used to withdraw Government aid), this type of attack became even more popular.
The launch of Pix as a payment method was also a major gateway to a new wave of phishing attacks.
Online traps: how does phishing work?
Contrary to what the vast majority of people believe, phishing attacks are not something completely random, involving a lot of prior planning. Using technological resources and a methodology called social engineering, the phishing attack uses the user's own vulnerability to obtain the victim's data. To understand how social engineering is used in this type of attack, check out this content:
Through elaborate messages, well-constructed emails and fraudulent websites, criminals are able to collect confidential information without the user's consent , who thinks they are sending this information to a legitimate company or person.
For this strategy to be effective, cybercriminals need to develop the perfect trap. Thinking about the bait, they manage to establish a device that can confuse these users and lead them to provide confidential data. In this case, cybercriminals can obtain confidential data that can range from personal documents to tax information about the company.
This data is used to access accounts, create false identities, financial fraud or some other type of crime. often collect this data and request payment to return it , a practice called ransomware.
The importance of LGPD
When we talk about data security, it is impossible not to mention the General Data Protection Law , which is a law created to increase security and guarantee the protection of data stored, collected and manipulated by a company. One of the most important points of this legislation is data security. It establishes the company's responsibilities and obligations regarding confidential data.
The LGPD brought more security to users by establishing efficient standards and protocols to protect confidential information stored and handled by companies. Although the period of adaptation to this new legislation was very challenging for companies, the criteria established in the law serve as a paradigm for secure information storage.
However, even though this law has transformed digital security in Brazil, there are still many risks that can harm the confidentiality of information, such as phishing attacks and other types.
And in that sense, no one is safe. The STJ, for example, has already experienced a cyber attack that caused its systems to be unavailable for a week. JBS paid 11 million reais in ransom after a ransomware attack.
In this way, we can see that the vulnerability of companies is not restricted to the size or type of business. And when we deal with phishing attacks, these signs become even more evident, as we are dealing with the vulnerability of users and not the company's systems.
We can understand, therefore, that all companies in all segments, regardless of size, can be potential victims of some type of attack or fraud.
Who can be targeted by phishing?
As we mentioned previously, there is no target audience for a phishing attack . For this reason, it is extremely important that the company invests in training to prepare its employees in a more intelligent way.
Here are some signs that your company may be facing a phishing email:
- Although you know the sender, he is not someone with whom you are in frequent contact. Even if the sender of this message is familiar, it is important that you are suspicious if it is a person with whom you do not have a constant relationship. Especially if the content of the email is very personal in nature or relates to information about your routine that the sender would not have known about.
- If the content of the email contains a threatening and frightening message, it is common for cybercriminals to use an alarmist tone to make their victim fall for the scam more easily. These phishing emails often contain an imperative tone that asks you to access a link or adopt an immediate attitude towards a situation.
- If the message contains any apparently unusual or unexpected attachments. If you received an email from someone you know, but don't keep in frequent contact with, and is sending photos from a particular party or trip, be careful. There is a high possibility that it is a phishing email.
- Beware of links that look suspicious or a little faded. Even if your email passes all the criteria mentioned above without suspicion, before clicking on a link sent, hover the cursor to check which is the real URL. It is also important to keep an eye out for spelling errors on websites that look familiar, such as stores, banks and companies.
Is it possible to protect yourself?
We could see in this article that attacks through a phishing email can cause numerous problems for a business , causing great panic among users. For this reason, it is important that company employees undergo training that better prepares them to identify these threats . Furthermore, to avoid an attack, there are some important tips that must be taken into consideration, such as:
Invest in information security
Although the phishing email attack uses users' vulnerability to be successful, there are some tools that can help you keep your information safe. In addition to antivirus software that can identify the presence of malicious files in attachments, you can also count on an internet control and blocking system.
With the help of this tool, even if cybercriminals create copies of frequently accessed pages, your employees will not be able to access or provide confidential information.
Train your employees
Awareness of the importance of a secure posture within the company's internet is extremely important to help maintain data security. Ideally, the company should begin this preparation and training process as soon as the employee begins their activities .
Furthermore, workers also need to know the main types of attacks that can be carried out to know the best approaches depending on the threat.
Strengthen the importance of information security in your company culture
Along with training workers, it is essential that managers continually reinforce this message so that everyone understands the importance of a safer posture and the value of information confidentiality. The more your employees know about the importance of data protection, the easier it will be to implement a safe internet use policy.
Technology can help
In addition to the security software that is essential to guarantee the protection of stored data , the company can count on technological tools that help to have more assertive control over the type of access that is carried out on the internet.
An internet blocking system is much more than just ensuring greater worker productivity: this feature allows managers to know users' usage patterns and be able to apply more specific access rules to guarantee the company's security.
Faced with so many serious consequences that can result from a phishing email, it is essential to adopt all available measures to increase data protection . Do you know how your company's security is? Check out this tool and find out!
