​Concerned About Cyber: Part 1 - Watch Out for Phishing

​Concerned About Cyber?
4 Easy Steps for Staying Secure in 2022
​
Cybersecurity has become one of the biggest hot topics both inside and outside of technology circles over the last two years. From securing learning devices due to a rise in digital learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, to coping with the fallout of high-profile breaches of national infrastructure such as the Colonial Pipeline, there is a seemingly endless newscycle dedicated to cybersecurity mishaps and concerns.
 
And with this onslaught of negative news, it can be easy for everyday individuals to become overwhelmed and to feel powerless in the face of the “insurmountable” threats posed by cybersecurity. But in actuality nothing could be further from the truth.
 
With all of the jargon that is typically thrown around in relation to cybersecurity there is a longstanding misperception that cybersecurity is beyond everyday people and that it should be left to the professionals. Moreover, there is a prevailing sense among the public that breaches are simply a fact of life and that we should just learn to deal with them. But this just isn’t true. In fact, everyday people have a huge role to play in cybersecurity threat prevention, detection, and remediation. For example, according to IBM, 95% of breaches have human error as a main cause. Therefore, everyday day technology users are very much the first line of defense when it comes to thwarting cybercrime. Unfortunately though, many individuals are not aware of some of the best practices for boosting cybersecurity and how easy they are to use.
 
With that, here are a few key best practices that everyday people can implement today to enhance their own cybersecurity and create a more secure world for everyone.

Part 1: Watch Out For Phishing

​Phishing – when a cybercriminal poses as a legitimate party in hopes of getting individuals to engage with malicious content or links – remains one of the most popular tactics among cybercriminals today. In fact, 80% of cybersecurity incidents stem from a phishing attempt. However, while phishing has gotten more sophisticated, keeping an eye out for typos, poor graphics and other suspicious characteristics can be a tell tale sign that the content is potentially coming from a “phish.” In addition, if you think you have spotted a phishing attempt be sure to report the incident so that internal IT teams and service providers can remediate the situation and prevent others from possibly becoming victims.

Phishing attacks in data breaches increased 11% from 2019 to 2020. It went from 25% to 36% based on
analysis of confirmed breaches. (Verizon) Phishing attacks have become an increasingly common problem for organizations of all sizes and can be very difficult to spot. 30% of small businesses consider phishing attacks to be their top cybersecurity concern. It’s important for every individual to stop and think before clicking on a link or attachment in a message and know how to spot the red flags. Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2022 will give individuals the tools they need to recognize a phish and report it to their organization or email provider.

Additional Facts and Figures:

• Only 60% of adults could define what “phishing” is. (Google)
• Nearly 3 out of 4 companies experienced a phishing attack in 2020 (Symantecs).
• 72% of respondents reported that they checked to see whether messages were legitimate (i.e. phishing or a scam) compared to 10% who reported not doing so. (NCA)
• Nearly half of the participants (48%) reported phishing emails to the sender (e.g. the real person the cyber criminal tried to impersonate by sending the phishing email). (NCA)
• 42% of the participants said they used the reporting capability on a platform (e.g. Gmail) “very often” or “always”. (NCA)

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