From Webster’s Dictionary, phishing is “the fraudulent practice of sending emails purporting to be from reputable companies in order to induce individuals to reveal personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers.” (Meriam Webster’s Dictionary )

Phishing attacks are the third largest cybersecurity threat in terms of the size of the threat, with a reported 45% of all emails being sent being some level of spam or phishing link.

¹ Vidwans, Ranjeet. “Top 10 Phishing Attack Statistics.” Clearedin, 11 Jan. 2022

This is a threat to everyone who is online, or has data stored online. The threat is raised when phishing attempts can target both the institution holding the information as well as the user. While the user is much more commonly targeted, businesses have reported receiving anywhere from “fourteen to forty fraudulent emails per year” (Rosenthal ²).

The threat of having sensitive and important information leaked is something that can potentially cause lots of damage if not properly educated on how to be avoided.

How to Avoid the Phishing Attempts

• First, by being aware of the threat is one of the best steps to avoid being phished personally, while training employees is the best way for businesses to ensure their information stays safe.

• Second, by being aware of the threats, it can make someone more cautious and vigilant about the risks and potential attempts that may be made in the future.

• Third, and most important, when receiving any email the best way to to avoid these attempts in the future is to not click on any link. If the email has not been sent to you by a confirmed source, don’t open it!

• In conclusion, being aware of what these email addresses are, can also help to avoid falling for phishing attempts in the future.

Also see: COVID-19 Phishing Schemes

FedHIVE implements over 425 Security Controls for safeguarding CUI, PII, and PHI as currently defined in NIST SP 800-53 standards and guidelines for security, privacy and control, and compliance requirements. By choosing FedHIVE, we will assure your data security compliance requirements are met. Visit our FedHIVE Solutions page for more information.

Sources:

¹ Vidwans, Ranjeet. “Top 10 Phishing Attack Statistics.” Clearedin, 11 Jan. 2022.

² Rosenthal, Maddie. “Phishing Statistics (Updated 2022) – 50+ Important Phishing Stats.” Tessian, 13 Jan. 2022.