Who hasn’t been received a fraudulent email before? We’re all subject to these cyberattacks and susceptible to falling into the traps they set. Protect yourself against phishing e-mails with our comprehensive guide.

Summary

What is a phishing e-mail?

A phishing e-mail is a cyberattack in which an attacker sends fraudulent e-mails, posing as a trusted organisation or person, with the intention of deceiving the recipient. The aim is often to trick the recipient into revealing sensitive information, such as business or personal details. These emails may appear legitimate, which is why they are all the more dangerous.

How can you recognise a phishing e-mail?

The telltale signs of a phishing e-mail

Here are the different warning signs that mean it could be a phishing e-mail:

  • Suspicious sender: check the sender’s e-mail address. Cybercriminals sometimes use addresses similar to those of legitimate organisations.
  • Urgent or alarming messages: cyberattackers often create a sense of urgency in their message, urging the recipient to act quickly and without thinking.
  • Spelling and grammatical errors: phishing e-mails often contain errors or mistranslations in the way in which they are written.
  • Requests for personal information: as a rule, legitimate senders never ask for sensitive information by e-mail.
  • Suspicious links and attachments: in order to detect suspicious links, hover your mouse over them to see where they actually lead. Attachments may contain viruses, so never download them before checking out the signs we’ve mentioned above.

Examples of common phishing mails

  • Example of a suspect sender: contact@qiminfo.ch (RELIABLE) and contact@qiminf0.ch (FRAUDULENT)
  • False e-mails from banks: claiming that your account has been compromised and asking you to click on a link to verify your information.
  • Technical support e-mails: posing as an internal department, they tell you about technical problems and ask for your login details.
  • Messages from government agencies: they demand payment of taxes or fines using fraudulent links.

The consequences of phishing attacks

Identity and personal data theft

When victims provide their personal information in response to a phishing e-mail, attackers can use this data to steal their identity, carry out sensitive operations such as opening bank accounts, taking out loans or committing other fraud.

Financial loss

Phishing attacks can result in direct financial losses. If a victim reveals their bank or credit card details, attackers can carry out fraudulent transactions. If the information system is compromised, it is also possible to suffer a loss in production or for employee efficiency levels to be lowered.

Computer systems can be compromised

By clicking on a link or opening a fraudulent attachment, cyberattackers can install malware on their victim’s computer with the aim of compromising computer systems and/or the loss or theft of sensitive data.

Best practices to protect yourself from phishing emails

Check who has sent the email

Always check the sender’s e-mail address. Cybercriminals often imitate legitimate addresses by changing a few characters to try and fool recipients.

Avoid clicking on suspicious links

Never click on links in suspicious emails. If you need to access a site, type the address directly into your browser.

Use security software and anti-phishing filters

Install security software and use anti-spam and anti-phishing filtering platforms so that you can detect and block fraudulent emails before they reach your inbox.

Educating employees and increasing awareness of issues

Organising regular training sessions is strongly recommended to make employees aware of the dangers posed by phishing and to share various techniques for recognising and avoiding these attacks, in addition to regularly running virtual refresher courses on cyberprevention.

What should I do if I receive a phishing e-mail?

Do not reply or click on links.

Never reply to phishing emails and never click on links or attachments.

Report phishing emails to your IT department

Immediately inform your IT department when you receive a suspicious email so that they can take steps to put in place protection for the information system and other users.

Immediately delete the email

Delete the email from your inbox to avoid erroneously opening it again at a later date and make sure to notify your colleagues.

What should you do if you are compromised?

Change your passwords

If you think your business/personal data has been compromised, immediately change your passwords on all affected accounts.

Inform the relevant financial institutions and companies

Immediately contact your banks and other financial institutions to inform them that your data has been compromised so that they can monitor any suspicious activity and take steps to protect your accounts.

Monitor your accounts for suspicious activity

Keep a close eye on your bank accounts, credit cards and other services to detect any fraudulent activity and report it as soon as possible.

Tools and resources to combat phishing

Anti-phishing software and extensions

Use software and application extensions designed to detect, report and block phishing attempts.

At Qim info, we offer an Outlook extension that helps you to fight against phishing. By using this extension, your employees can report a phishing email with just one click. When an email seems suspicious, simply use this feature to immediately alert the IT department or security team.

This solution not only enables you to react quickly to threats, but also to collect valuable data to analyse and prevent future attacks. By integrating this extension into your Outlook application, you can strengthen your defence strategy against phishing, protect your sensitive data and continually raise awareness among your staff of cybersecurity.

Take part in training courses and awareness programmes to keep abreast of the latest phishing techniques and best practices for protection.

Qim info has a comprehensive, effective and realistic Cyber Threat Awareness programme, which is designed to raise awareness and educate your employees about the growing dangers of today’s digital landscape. The programme includes a series of interactive and immersive training courses that cover a wide range of cybersecurity topics, such as how to recognise phishing emails, best practices for creating and managing strong passwords and protocols to follow in the event of a suspected cyberattack.

Our training modules are regularly updated to reflect the latest trends and techniques used by cybercriminals, ensuring that your teams are always up-to-date with the latest threats. What’s more, our realistic approach includes simulations of phishing attacks and other cyber threats, enabling your employees to practise and improve their skills within a secure environment.

By integrating our Awareness programme, you will not only be protecting your information system, but also creating a security culture within your company. This both reduces the risk of compromise as well as increases your teams’ vigilance and responsiveness to potential threats.

By working with Qim info, turn your employees into the first line of defence against cyberattacks.

Use online services and websites to report phishing attempts so that you can warn other members and seek advice on how to react in the event of an attack.

Antiphising.ch and Signal-spam.fr are just two of many examples of this.

Current trends in phishing

Increasingly sophisticated phishing techniques

Cybercriminals are developing increasingly sophisticated phishing techniques that make use of social engineering and advanced technologies to create emails that are increasingly convincing and difficult to detect. Artificial intelligence, for example, is used by cybercriminals to perfect their attacks, as well as by professionals editing cybersecurity solutions.

Increased targeting of companies and employees who work remotely

With the rise in popularity of remote working, attackers are increasingly targeting employees who work from home, exploiting even the smallest of security loopholes to gain access to corporate systems.

Use Qim info to improve your security to combat phishing

Protecting your business against phishing attacks is essential to preserve the integrity of your data and the security of your information system.

When you work with Qim info, you benefit from cutting-edge cybersecurity expertise. Our training and awareness programmes are designed to educate your employees on the best security practices to follow, thereby reducing the risk of them being compromised by fraudulent emails.

Rely on our experience and expertise to protect your business against the growing threat of phishing. In addition to our anti-phishing services, Qim info offers a range of cybersecurity services.

We secure your on-premise infrastructures by deploying robust solutions maintained by our certified teams, while implementing rigorous security protocols. For companies that use Cloud services, we ensure the protection of your Microsoft 365 environments, guaranteeing that your data and services remain safe from cyberattacks.

Our experts are on hand to assess, secure and monitor your systems so that you can concentrate on your core business with complete peace of mind.

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