Email phishing is a type of cybercrime in which attackers send fraudulent emails that appear to come from legitimate sources in an attempt to trick individuals into divulging sensitive information such as login credentials, financial information, or personal data. These emails often contain links to fake websites that look legitimate but are designed to steal information entered by the user.
An example of how this happens is a scenario where a phisher sends an email to your organization posing as an employee of a well-known organization, say a bank. The contents of the email from the bank inform its recipients that their debit or credit card is about to expire and that they should update their account information to avoid termination. The email contains a link that leads the recipients to a fake website that looks like the bank’s website. Here, they are asked to provide their personal and financial information such as their name, identification number, credit card number, and home address. Once this information is obtained by the phisher, they use it for fraudulent activities
Phishing attacks can be difficult to spot, as they often use branding and language that appears legitimate. Here are some tips to help you avoid falling victim to a phishing attack:
Remember, it’s always better to be safe than sorry. If you suspect that an email may be a phishing attempt, do not respond to it or provide any sensitive information.
The negative consequences of a phisher having crucial information about the CEO, HR manager, or finance manager of your company are dire:
Email spoofing occurs when attackers send risky emails that appear to come from an authorized source. These emails can contain malicious attachments or links that can infect a computer or steal personal information. In an email spoofing attack, the attacker modifies the “From” field in the email header to make it appear as though the email is coming from a legitimate source.
An example is a scenario where the attacker creates a similar email to that of the CFO of a company, such as CFO@company.com. The attacker then creates a fake email and sends it to the financial manager of the organization. The email requests the financial manager to share the company’s current financial statements and contains a link that leads them to a fake website that is designed to steal their login credentials. Once the attacker acquires the login credentials, they gain access to confidential financial information. The technique may be different but the consequences are similar to an email phishing attack.
With the knowledge of email phishing and spoofing, it is integral for businesses to ensure they accurately safeguard their emails. More so, there are various factors that one needs to consider when choosing a secure email provider:
Therefore, it is important to choose an email provider that integrates these factors. Some of the common email providers that have tightened their email security include Zoho, Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, and Protonmail. Choosing the right email provider such as Google Workspace will ensure the business emails are protected from email phishing and spoofing.
Google Workspace (formerly known as G Suite) includes several features that can help prevent email phishing attacks:
By using these features, Google Workspace can help protect users from email phishing attacks and keep their accounts secure.
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