Spotting Phishing Attacks Before You’re Caught

One of the greatest defenses we have against phishing attacks is our own diligence. Phishing attempts are getting more and more convincing, and more and more frequent. There are a lot of tools that business should have in place to handle these such as robust mail filtering, end-user training, and defensive technologies if something gets through, such as EDR, DLP, and a bunch of other acronyms.

But what if I told you that there are things you can do right now to protect yourself? It all comes down to awareness, here are some tips and tricks to stay ahead.

Even though the name may be correct, check the email, you bank rep’s name may be Frank Banker, make sure his email is This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and not This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Gmail and other public addresses can be made quickly and without verification, always make sure you’re transacting with verified business emails.

Bad actors are clever, an email from microsoft.com may actually be from rnicrosoft.com (I replaced the m with an r and an n which on quick glance look the same), always ensure the domain name is one you expect.

Most (not all) phishing attacks try to catch us at a vulnerable time, and will make grandiose claims about what happens if we delay. There’s always time to confirm. If the request is unexpected, pick up the phone and call the person at a number you already know (not one in their email), or find their number in a trusted space and confirm the request.

Most mail clients conveniently hyperlink emails within an email so you can quickly click on them to draft an email, but it’s easy for those sending the email to edit that hyperlink and have it take you somewhere you don’t want to go, a much safer way is to type the email address out yourself if it seems legitimate, or to copy and paste the email, but not click it directly.

If you think a link is legitimate, hover over it and see what link is hiding underneath, ensure it’s somewhere you trust, and if not, instead of clicking the link, type out the address if it’s from a trusted source.

Hyperlinks can also be contained in images, so if you don’t expect the email, or trust the sender, don’t click any images.

These are just a couple small things to get started. If you’d like more tips, reach out to us and we would be happy to provide you with more ways to stay safe, and offers tools and technologies that will further protect you, your organization, and your data.