Phishing emails are one of the most common cybersecurity threats. With about 319 billion emails sent and received each day, users need to be on high alert for phishing attacks.
According to Proofpoint's 2021 State of the Phish report, 75% of organizations around the world experienced a phishing attack in 2020. 74% of attacks targeting US businesses succeeded.
But knowing that phishing emails are out there and dangerous is not enough. It's important to be able to recognize one. Here are some tips from the University of Cincinnati's Office of Information Security:
Everyone is at risk of phishing, no matter where they are in the food chain. Phishers specifically target CEOs and high-level executives with special phishing attacks intended to entice or fool them. These are known as whaling attacks.
If you think you have received a phishing email, it's important to slow down and examine it.
- First, look at the sender and domain of the email address.
- Hover over any links and see where they might direct you to.
- Other phishy identifiers might be misspelled words, incorrect dates or odd requests.
