It's Cyber Awareness Month... and here's a few terms that you may not be aware of... Phishing!

WHAT IS 'PHISHING'?
“Phishing” is a technique used by scammers to trick you into giving away personal information. They usually do this by pretending to be someone you trust... and they often 'fish' for victims in the hope someone will bite!

BUT WHY THE 'PH'?
Back in the early 70's and 80's, computer enthusiasts would try and trick telephony systems into giving them free calls... and this was known as 'Phreaking', which is short for 'Phone Freaking'.  As time moved on and Phreakers became more established and began hacking people, and not telephony systems, the 'PH' replaced the 'F' in fishing, as a 'nod' to the old ways!

Of course now things have gotten a lot more complicated, and we hear of 'SMShing' (fake SMS messages), 'Vishing' (phone calls from scammers) and now 'Quishing' (QR codes that will try to scam you!!).

But when all said and done, it's ALL phishing and an attempt to steal data, information or money from you!

WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE?
Imagine you get an email that looks like it’s from your Finance team with the subject line “We've hit target! So we're giving you a bonus!”

The email has your company logo, the CFO's name, and even a link that looks like it leads to your company portal. Excitedly, you click the link and enter your login details."

...And just like that, you’ve handed over your account to a cybercriminal.

That’s how phishing works. It doesn’t need complicated hacking tools, it just needs you to trust the wrong email at the wrong time.

HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF
First of all, does the email 'feel right'? Yes... trust your gut! Would the sender REALLY send the information or make a request via email?

You can of course hover your mouse over the link to see if it looks ok - but in the example above, it did, so you can't always trust that.

If the email is trying to push your emotional buttons, then there's a strong likelihood that it's a phishing email.  For example, if you're being pressured to ACT NOW! Chances are it's a scam.  Equally, if it plays on your fear, it's likely to be a phishing email.  For example, "If you don't act within the next 24hrs you will receive a tax demand for ???? and may face criminal charges."

Scammers play on fear, uncertainty and doubt. 

If you're unsure about any email or message you receive, ask someone what they think... Scammers don't want you to share these stories (do NOT however, forward bogus emails - someone is going to click the link!!). Ask your friends, family, team mates ... or ME! And see if it looks legitimate or not.

CONCLUSION
Phishing attacks are on the increase, because they work! Scammers wouldn't do this if they didn't, so be under no illusion, phishing attacks work and there is no shame in being a victim.  But if you DO click a link, here's what you need to do...

This doesn't have to be a nightmare for you... But the longer you leave it unchecked, the worse it can become.

Please share this with your team mates, friends and family ... Let's help make the world a safer place.