Phishing Attacks we Need to be Aware of in 2022

Ipswich based Corbel Solutions are devoted to keeping businesses protected from potential phishing attacks and keeping cyber secure – this blog outlines some of the alarming attacks that you need to ensure you and your business in Suffolk are aware of.

To put it simply – a phishing attack is when a user is tricked into doing the “wrong thing” by a potential attacker. It can result in sensitive information being obtained or potentially lead to the deployment of malicious software onto a victim’s infrastructure. It is the main delivery method for all types of cyberattacks and is a major threat to your business.

It only takes one phishing email to catch a whole company out and then have to face the implications of this attack. It may result in handing over login credentials or the unwanted succumbing to ransomware. Ransomware is a software which maliciously blocks access to a computer system until a sum of money is paid.

Human error is massively taking advantage of in phishing, it is becoming more and more believable. To prevent your company from being caught out, Ipswich based Corbel Solutions provide?Cyber Security training?and phishing simulation which can help to educate your staff on what they can do to keep your business protected.

There are plenty of other steps that your business can take to protect themselves – email filtering, DNS filtering and next-gen antivirus/anti-malware. DNS filtering uses a Domain Name System to block harmful websites and filter out inappropriate content.

So here are some of the most recent and shocking phishing trends we’ve seen in 2022…

Getting caught out by text message…

Previously, phishing by email has been the most common form of catching us out, which has resulted in us all becoming wary of unexpected emails. However, more recently some of us have been found to be caught out via text.

The increase in mobile phishing attacks may be due to the accessibility of others mobile phone numbers. Phishing via mobile text messages is called “smishing” and is rapidly growing in quantity. This potentially may be due to the amount of retailers and businesses that send us updates, which makes us more inclined to check our text messages.

It is much easier to send a fake shipment notice via text message, for example, and encourage users to click on a shortened URL which may be of potential danger.

The rise of compromised business emails in phishing attacks

Over the past few years, a big money-maker for criminal groups has been ransomware. Although a new-form of attack that has increased in visibility recently is business email compromise – BEC. BEC is exploited by attackers to make money, it does this in a range of ways including gift card scams and fake wire transfer requests.

This form of attack is particularly dangerous as it results in a business’s email account being accessed by criminals. As you can imagine, the implications of this can be extremely damaging to business activity. Criminals can send phishing messages to employees, customers, and stakeholders of the company. The predominant issue with this is that those receiving the message will believe it due to it coming from a trusted email.

Spear phishing – targeting smaller businesses

You should not be caught out in thinking that smaller businesses are not likely to be victims of phishing attacks – often they are easy targets as they are less likely to have the IT security larger companies will.

40% of small businesses that are victims of a cyber-attack will experience at least eight hours of downtime because of an attack.

A specific type of attack that uses BEC is known as spear phishing. It’s in the name, it’s a targeted and direct attack – opposed to other phishing attacks which may be more generic.

Previously criminals would only spend time on larger companies for a spear attack as it would take considerable time and effort. However due to more criminal groups forming, the attacks completed have been more efficient – allowing them to target whoever, no matter the size of the company.

There is the potential for users receiving tailored phishing attacks of a small business to not identify it as a scam – which then can have negative implications.

Using Initial Access Brokers to make attacks more successful

Cyber-criminal groups are continually looking at how they can make their attacks more effective – but more importantly, more profitable. These attacks are treated like business and in order to make it more profitable they have been from using an outside specialist that is known as an Initial Access Broker.

An Initial Access Broker focuses just on the initial breach and getting into a network or company account – they are specialists in this field and so particularly successful. Their specialties make it harder for users to detect that it is a phishing attack.

Business impersonation is on the up

While you may think people have been able to become more aware and able to spot out phishing attacks – this hasn’t stopped criminals. Criminals have increasingly become known to use the technique of business impersonation.

A business impersonation email is a phishing email that will look legitimate – it will look exactly like it’s from a company the user may already know or do business with.

A key example of a business that has been affected by this is Amazon – although you should be aware that it can also happen to smaller companies. Business impersonation can occur in various ways depending on the scenario. What this means is that users essentially have to be cautious of all emails and not just ones from unknown senders.

Is your business protected from the threats of phishing attacks?

When protecting your business and its security you should embody a multi-layered strategy to ensure that all potential bases are covered. From?Cyber Security?services to?IT Consulting Services?to help you understand your current IT situation – there are a range of things Corbel Solutions can do to help your business in Suffolk overcome any issues in order to maximise your business capabilities.

We proactively look to help businesses no matter how big or small to prevent your credentials from being compromised. Feel free to give us a?call?on 01473 24151 or email us at [email protected] for further information and support.

Ipswich based Corbel Solutions Limited, are experts in?Cyber Security?,?Cloud Services?and?Office 365 Support?and help businesses across Ipswich, Felixstowe, Colchester, Stowmarket, and the surrounding Suffolk area. Corbel will work with you proactively as a Business?IT Support?partner to provide responsive help whilst maximising your potential.