Phishing

Phishing is a common type of cyber attack that targets individuals through email, text messages, phone calls, and other forms of communication. A phishing attack aims to trick the recipient into falling for the attacker’s desired action, such as revealing financial information, system login credentials, or other sensitive information.

As a popular form of social engineering, phishing involves psychological manipulation and deception whereby threat actors masquerade as reputable entities to mislead users into performing specific actions. These actions often involve clicking links to fake websites, downloading and installing malicious files, and divulging private information, like bank account numbers or credit card information..

How to avoid phishing attack

Be wary of communications that implore you to act immediately, offer something that sounds too good to be true or ask for personal or financial information.

Always opt to enable stronger authentication when available, especially for accounts with sensitive information, including your email or bank accounts.

Combine capital and lowercase letters with numbers and symbols to create a more secure password.

Make sure all of your computers are equipped with regularly updated antivirus software, firewalls, email filters and anti-spyware.

Avoid clicking on hyperlinks in emails. Instead, type the URL directly into the address bar instead. If you choose to click on a link, make sure it is authentic before clicking on it. You can check a hyperlinked word or URL by hovering the cursor over it to reveal the full address.