Most of us agree interconnected networks and cloud computing benefit organizations.
But, with the move toward further digitization comes increased avenues for cyberattacks. Let’s take a look at one of the most common (and overlooked) threats.
How many of us have seen a drastic uptick in phishing attempts in the last few quarters? 🙋♂️
Most of us agree interconnected networks and cloud computing benefit organizations whether it be their operational cost savings or opportunities for further revenue growth.
But, with the move toward further digitization comes increased avenues for cyberattacks. The global network is fertile ground for phishing attacks. With sophisticated and obscure malicious call-to-actions (CTA) employees are at an increased risk of falling prey.
In fact, 90% of cyber attacks start with phishing with each breach costing an organization $5 million on average.
The hard truth?
A study released by PwC said that 38% of surveyed business and IT executives reported phishing scams at their organization, and each believed it would continue to escalate.
Phishing is only becoming more prevalent, so how do we ensure our personnel and networks are secure?
Well, let’s start by thinking like a cybercriminal. Dive in!👇
We’re cybercriminals looking to gain access to sensitive data and our goal is to simply get an employee to click on a malicious link– one click.
Step 1: Study our targets
We’ve learned that mass attacks are easily blocked by firewalls and email security, so we play into best-practice marketing and sales strategy by sending highly personalized emails.
In order to do that we’ll do some reconnaissance–studying the click-behaviors, attitudes, and behaviors of our target group. Where do we find this information? Social Media. We’ll learn what their hobbies are, who they enjoy listening to, and where they live.
Step 2: Build a personalized threat strategy
After understanding their vulnerabilities, we’ll tailor a threat strategy to their individual weaknesses.
Step 3: Attack
We’ll send emails, notifications, or text messages with malicious call-to-actions. But, people are more vigilant, so we’ll run our messages through an AI platform ensuring it sounds like you’re receiving content from a trusted source.
An example?
To: you@domain.com
From: hello@avexonsecurty.com
Thanks for attending our Bourbon and Breaches event last night. We’d love to give you a gift card as a “thank you”. You can download it at the link below.
The message was personalized, well-written, and seemed like a standard post-event email. The difference? A quick glance at the “From” email shows an easily overlooked incorrect domain.
Would you have downloaded the gift card?
Step 4: Steal information
You downloaded the fake gift card that prompted you to log into a portal. Now, we have your sensitive data and it took us no less than 10 minutes.
Step 5: Payday
We steal financial assets or threaten to leak sensitive company information until you pay us off.
Let’s find out how to avoid falling prey to personalized attacks like the one above. 👇
Between budget cuts and hiring freezes, being proactive in protecting your network can feel like an unrealistic goal.
“I know where I need to be, but I don’t have the resources to get there.”
We’ve found that most of the time, security professionals feel they don’t have the budget for expansive threat detection and monitoring, but rather employ the solutions that best protect their most critical and sensitive assets.
While for some that could be the case, over 50% of security professionals surveyed said they believe they wasted half their budget and still aren’t getting the ROI they intended.
So, is it that our lean budgets are keeping us from secure networks, or is it the fact that we haven’t found solutions that fit our needs?
“We have little time to train our employees.”
We get it. “Things business move fast and threats move faster. But, with most phishing threats entering your network through vulnerable or uneducated employees, it’s now a bottom-line issue.
We’d aim to argue that effectively training your employees to notice phishing threats is just as important as correctly integrating a new security solution. If there are gaps in either, the organization suffers.
“We have poor asset visibility.”
For the past couple of years, security asset visibility has become an increased issue for cybersecurity professionals.
In fact, according to Security Magazine, “only 10% of cybersecurity leaders have a tech stack that provides full visibility for detecting and responding to threats in cloud applications outside of their network.”
Additional complexity in security environments has led to increased visibility gaps, especially given the sheer number of tools, clouds, and infrastructures.
As we continue to evolve our security systems to meet digital expectations, it’s crucial your team is prepared for the attacks ahead. Our team has proven solutions to mitigate phishing attacks and help you on your journey to creating a resilient network.
If you have any questions regarding securing your network against the latest phishing attacks, contact either tom.barnes@avexonsecurity.com or collin.mckinzie@avexonsecurity.com.