A team is essential for growing businesses but can also come with a few unforeseen risks. In today’s increasingly plugged-in world, phishing attacks are becoming a bigger threat, and employers must take notice to protect their business.
Phishing happens when someone clicks on an insecure link that seems to be from a valid organization, granting hackers access to sensitive business information. Cyber attacks, like phishing, have increased by 400% since 2019.
Many well-intended employees spark these attacks simply because they have not been trained or aware of the risks. To help your team remain vigilant, here are a few things you can teach and do for your business.
1. Train Your Team to Check the Domain Before Clicking
Cybercriminals are experts in quickly earning the trust of the person on the other side of the screen, often your employee, and getting them to click on seemingly valid links. They do this by evoking an emotional response, such as fear around a missed payment. The message feels urgent, so the employee has an immediate response.
To help your team pause before clicking, train them always to check the sender’s domain and the link they’re about to open. Most criminals will make their emails appear to have come from a valid source, but the domain name will help you verify if that source is legitimate.
You can also hover over the link in emails, so the URL appears. You’ll know the link is a phishing threat if it is not linked to a valid domain name.
2. Protect Your Email Domain
There are email security protocols you can put in place to help your team know if an email is genuine or looks suspicious. Sender Policy Framework (SPF), DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM), and Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (MCARC) are three types of protocols that will look for the accuracy of a domain and alert your team of any possible threats.
Typically, these three protocols work in conjunction with each other. They’re in place to reduce the risks of a cybercriminal gaining access to your business information.
3. Mitigate Phishing with Multi-Factor Authentication
Multi-factor Authentication requires your employees to verify that they are trying to access sensitive information for your business by asking for verification in multiple ways. This one step can help stop a cybercriminal from accessing your business’s sensitive information, even if an employee unintentionally clicked a phishing link.
Having Cyber Liability Insurance in Place Can Help
With the increase in cybercriminal behavior, cyber liability insurance is necessary. Putting a partner on your side to help protect against the dangers of phishing can help your business in case it is ever attacked. If your business does not have this coverage, now is the time to get it. We can help. Contact us to protect your business with cyber liability insurance.
