Top Tips for Spear Phishing Prevention

by Rob Thomas Writer and author

You'd be forgiven for not knowing much about spear phishing. Needless to say, it's a system of coordinated attacks through email or electronic communications that are quite difficult to control or stop. So much damage can be wrought when phishing is used by criminals to attack corporations, individuals and countries. These targets are often well-researched and approached under the guise of trust but ultimately, systems and other devices get infected with malware and important information stolen. However, there are certain measures geared towards preventing spear phishing including going up some gears by using multiple layers of protection on your devices and chosen social networks or Internet platforms.

Here are other ways to stop spear phishing

Always Use the Latest Security Patches on Your Systems

Sounds like a mouthful right? FTC how to recognize phishing scams? You can prevent spear phishing when you constantly update your security software so that there's a firewall should a phishing attack take place. This also goes for corporate bodies who deal with a lot of important data but often leave little breaches prone to phishing attacks. Again, viruses are transmitted through emails but with breaches available they can spread all through your network. Your firewall changes with each security software update thus plugging any potential portal for phishing attacks.

Encrypt All Sensitive Information

Phishprotection - Protection from phishing measures like encryption go a long way to help you against attacks. If you don't already use one or several encryptions as a corporation or individual with vital information, you're a walking target open to attacks. Also, data encryption has become a non-negotiable aspect of security in all forms and often sets the bedrock of systems and strategy to keep your information and devices safe. With encryption, data is terribly difficult to breach or access leaving all phishing attempts week and frustrated.

Ignore Suspicious Emails

If you've received an email with everything checking out but don't know when or how you subscribed to that service, you'd best delete it. You could also run several checks to see who it's from. This has become necessary because criminals have continued to up their game with more refined phishing emails.

Preventing spear phishing could be as easy as being wary of any email you receive and observing that every important detail checks out.

Use Anti-phishing Software Alongside Email Filters

It's okay to have 'normal' email security solutions including anti-virus and anti-spam filters but with the sophisticated nature of phishing on the rise, you can pair your efforts with software that help to prevent spear phishing. Further, having a phishing email in your spam seldom happens so they'll easily cut through any measures you use without more security measures to back it up.

Some of the measures to take and techniques you can implement include:

· Always check for domain spoofing. This is one common and pragmatic protection but people and corporate bodies still fall for it. There are organizations with proven systems to tackle this like Webroot - phishing protection best practices and RSA protection from phishing.

· Cross-check suspicious content

Train Staff to Recognize Phishing Attacks

Your attempts to stop spear phishing shouldn't be limited to and other traditional means alone. This is because staff or employees often make use of devices that have a lot of sensitive data swirling around. Have them trained to spot phishing attacks through awareness sessions and steps to take to prevent them. Google Advanced Phishing & Malware protection can help a lot in this case.

Furthermore, procedures and phishing simulations for voicemail, emails, and other message types should form part of the training especially if it involves finances and vital information.

In conclusion, no measure is too stiff to take. Cybersecurity is important and with criminal activities reaching desperate proportions, spear phishing prevention is a must.