Andrew Gombar, Security Analyst

We’ve all received that email from the “Prince of Nigeria” who needs a few thousand dollars to get his money out of the bank, and in return he will send you hundreds of thousands of dollars just for helping him out. While tempting to some, realistically we all know if it’s too good to be true, it probably is.

This is a classic example of a phishing email, and something we should all watch for. Tech Jury tells us that with 3.7 billion email users around the world, workers on average receive a total of 120 emails per work day. Accomplishing our day-to-day workload while trying to keep up with emails can be a daunting task, but we must stay vigilant.

To protect yourself and your business against these ever growing threats, it’s essential to stay educated on best practices. Here are a few key things you can do to avoid getting phished.

Stop, look, and think.

While sorting through your endless list of emails make sure to follow these simple rules:

• Stop rushing through the emails. It’s easy to get lax about this when you’re busy and your inbox is overflowing, but a rushed decision can lead to negative consequences.
• Look at who sent it. And not just the name but the full email address as well.
• Think about why you’re receiving the email in the first place. If something seems off, regardless of the sender or urgency, double check before taking any action.

Be wary of links and attachments

Even if they appear harmless make sure to apply the stop, look and think approach. Before proceeding ask yourself these questions:

• Who is the email from?
• Am I expecting a link or download?
• Does the link look safe?

If you’re unsure, Scan URL provides a free service that checks links to see if they have been reported for phishing or any types of malware.

Did You Know?*

• The most common type of email phishing scams targeted at businesses are emails sent to employees that appear to be an urgent request from management
• Ransomware attacks, on average, cost a company $5 million and 92% of malware is delivered through email
• 30% of phishing messages were opened in 2018, while 12% of those were successful

*Source: Cyber Security Online

What’s your security score?

Take this Google phishing quiz and find out (we promise it’s not a trick)! Hopefully after reading this blog, you’ll score 100%!

If you get a suspicious email and are not sure it’s safe to proceed, our security team is happy to help! Just reach out to us at help@aadyasecurity.com or call 800.918.9113.

You can also protect your small business from threats like phishing, malware, password breaches and more with Marzo4 and Judy. Request a demo today to learn more!