How to prevent phishing attacks
We know a lot of technical methods to steal passwords through malware or system vulnerabilities, and one of the most difficult ways to defend is to let users voluntarily disclose their login credentials without their knowledge.
Yes, this is phishing. Specifically, phishing is a technical means of tricking users into accessing fake phishing websites and entering their own login credentials. We often see fake Gmail or Hotmail emails, and most users have the ability to tell that these emails are phishing emails. However, once a phishing email involves work-related content or appears to be from another trusted source, it is difficult for the user to determine its authenticity.
Imagine if you received an email claiming to be a corporate IT department that invites users to log in to the new HR system. And the company has very formal communication methods and channels, so this notification method is inevitably very strange. However, the email may prompt the user to click on the link, and if the phishing site appears to be persuasive enough, the trusted user may even enter their own login credentials, in which case the malicious purpose of the attacker It was reached.
So, how should companies guard against this type of phishing?
One of the best defenses is to implement two-factor authentication as much as possible. If the login certificate is compromised, the attacker will need a second authentication factor before using the certificate. This measure does not prevent an attacker from stealing login credentials, but it can effectively prevent an attacker from successfully using the obtained credentials.
Another important defensive measure is to provide security training to users. Training users can deepen their knowledge of phishing skills in order to identify phishing behavior. In addition, it enables the security team to learn valuable insights from user behavior that may be taken for granted by the technician.
For example, users may be accustomed to the assumption that the organization has filtered emails to prevent any malicious messages from passing, but this assumption is wrong. No matter how high-quality email protection measures, you may inevitably “lease” some malicious emails.
The same is true for malicious websites. Users may take it for granted that there are protections that have filtered malicious websites, but even the best web filtering tools may miss a few malicious websites. Once users can understand that any security tool can’t completely protect all malicious emails or sites from 100%, they can form a high degree of responsibility to help maintain the organization’s network security.
In addition, it is important for users to understand that an attacker can easily build a phishing website. For an attacker, creating a website with a login form, title, and organization logo is a very simple matter. In addition, an attacker can easily clone any publicly available web page (even your company’s web page) and sign up for a similar domain name to confuse users. More importantly, the attacker can also get a free certificate to display the lock icon. This icon only means that the URL of the website matches the certificate and its traffic has been encrypted, but this does not guarantee the security of the user.
Users are an important part of the establishment of a safety equation. Therefore, focusing on user training to enable them to make correct and safe choices, and establishing a culture of corporate safety awareness will help companies achieve significant success in the security posture.
