Cyberterrorism is on the rise, and this includes phishing attacks. According to a recent report from Verizon, 90% of all data breaches are linked to phishing attacks. With the average cost of a successful phishing attack for a medium-sized business totalling $1.6 million, it is critical to ensure employees are educated on how to identify these scams before they cause catastrophic damage.
Phishing is defined by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) as a type of fraudulent communication that targets individuals and organizations by sending an email or text appearing to be from a well-known source. Cybercriminals use phishing attacks in an attempt to gain sensitive personal information such as passwords, account numbers, credit card information, or social security numbers. Phishing emails typically include a malicious attachment or link, and evidence suggests that 93% of all phishing emails contain ransomware.
So how can you protect your organization against this cyberthreat? MedSafe suggests four helpful ways to reduce your threat against cyberterrorism.
If someone in your organization has received a phishing email or text message, report it. The information you provide can help fight cybercrime.
Step 1. If you received a phishing email, forward it to the Anti-Phishing Working Group at reportphishing@apwg.org. If you got a phishing text message, forward it to SPAM (7726).
Step 2. Report the phishing attack to the FTC at ftc.gov/complaint.
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