Phishing attacks are becoming more sophisticated and prevalent, and if you or your staff fall for them, then you can put your company at risk. Phishing training can help you and your team spot attacks and deal with them safely, keeping your business protected.
If you want to learn why phishing training is so essential for your business, then keep reading.
Growing threat of phishing attacks
Whether they’re emailed, texted, or sent via WhatsApp, phishing attacks are becoming far more common. Scammers typically send messages pretending to be someone else, such as a job applicant or high-level executive of a business. They use this perceived authority to get you to click a link or send personal information.
Especially with the development of AI, these are becoming harder to distinguish from genuine messages. But it’s not just written messages you have to watch out for, QR codes and voice imitation are also being used to trick you into handing over your information.
To keep yourself safe, we recommend only using trusted QR codes, verifying any requests with friends and family, and not clicking links in unsolicited emails.
Financial and reputational costs of phishing
Successful phishing attacks can have wide-reaching financial and reputational costs. Whether it’s providing hackers access to restricted data or accidentally sharing a customer's personal information, any successful attack can quickly gain publicity.
This publicity can damage your business’s reputation and lead to expensive financial losses (including fines, customer loss, and potential legal dealings).
Ensuring compliance with UK regulations
If you run a business that handles other people’s data, even if it’s just their contact information, this has to be safely stored and protected in accordance with the UK’s Data Protection laws.
Any breaches in this, intentional or accidental, can result in various penalties and fines. Depending on the information shared, your business may also be liable for personal damages to the affected persons.
To limit the risk, it’s thoroughly recommended that you and your team partake in regular phishing training. This can keep your team aware of the latest developments in malicious uses of technologies and help them remain vigilant against a variety of phishing attacks.
Building a proactive culture of security
One of the most easily ‘hacked’ parts of your system is the human element. People, especially the untrained, can fall victim to these attacks, sharing information with those they believe are trustworthy individuals.
Fortunately, your people are also the easiest to ‘upgrade’. You just have to invest in regular training. With sufficient development, your team can become a ‘human firewall’, able to detect, avoid, and report any suspicious activity.
Of course, to develop your business culture into one that values security and remains vigilant, there needs to be a top-down movement towards cybersecurity. By ensuring your top-level focus on this first, it can help instil the culture across all your employees. You might also want to use VPNs throughout your business, as this can improve privacy and security.
