Welcome to the new Cyber Treats Weekly.

We’ll be sharing valuable tech tips, cybersecurity practices, and current information that you can share with your team (featuring Maggie and Boomer, cartoon versions of Facet’s “shop dogs.”)

Now, onto the tips!

It pays to stay vigilant.

3.4 billion phishing emails are sent every day–a staggering amount bolstered by bots and entire economies of scammers finding new ways to get around your email security.

At Facet, we’re big proponents of security awareness training, especially phishing simulations, which are proven to reduce breaches and security incidents, but there’s a hard truth:

Security awareness is only as effective as your vigilance on your busiest day, when you’re at your most distracted.

Our advice: make a habit of scrutinizing any email that has the following elements, every single time:

1. Suspicious sender’s email address (slight misspellings, strange domains, etc.)
🎣 Real-life example: Paypal scam emails will often come from an address like “[email protected]” or similar, instead of an “@paypal.com” email address.

2. Urgent calls to action or scare tactics demanding immediate response (this one is especially important in campaigns designed to impersonate high-level executives)
🎣 Real-life example: a fake USPS email or text claiming you have a package stuck in customs that requires payment to process.

3. Requests for sensitive information like passwords, credit card numbers, etc.
🎣 Real-life example: a fake CapitolOne fraud detection email that, once the link is clicked, directs you to a website where it will request your card information to lock your account.

4. Misspellings, poor grammar, or unusual formatting
🎣 Real-life example: A fake bank email: “We have faced some problems  with your Account please update the account .if you do not update will be Closed.”

5. Unsolicited attachments
🎣 Real-life example: Scammers will include attachments that may have malware in them, including fake invoices or tax information.

Keep these strategies in your pocket to avoid costly breaches.

Need help with cybersecurity? Our team of experts can help you craft the ideal solution for your company. Give us a call at (309) 689-3900, or schedule a 15-minute discovery call with Trey to find out about email security solutions and more.