Phishing scams are becoming ever more sophisticated – and firms are struggling to keep up

These scams take the form of emails that try

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to persuade staff to download malicious attachments, click on dodgy links, or provide personal details or other sensitive data. A targeted “spear” phishing email campaign was blamed for instigating the recent cyber attack that caused a major power outage in Ukraine.

Even more worryingly, phishing attacks are now the most popular way of delivering ransomware onto an organisation’s network. This is a type of software that typically encrypts files or locks computer screens until a ransom is paid. The amounts demanded are generally quite small, meaning that many organisations will simply pay the ransom without, of course, any guarantee that their systems will be unlocked. In the face of these phishing attacks, employees have become the frontline of cyber security. Reducing their vulnerability to phishing emails has therefore become a critical challenge for companies.

https://theconversation.com/phishing-scams-are-becoming-ever-more-sophisticated-and-firms-are-struggling-to-keep-up-73934