Phishing – Back to Basics

Phishing attacks happen fast!  According to Verizon 2024 Data Breach Investigations Report, “The median time to click on a malicious link after the email is opened is 21 seconds, and then it takes only another 28 seconds to enter the data. That leads to a frightening finding: The median time for users to fall for phishing emails is less than 60 seconds.”

Red flags --

• Incorrect sender email address
• Generic greeting
• Request for money or sensitive information
• Suspicious links
• Unexpected attachment
• Sense of urgency
• Unexpected updates on package delivery status
• Suspicious file or document has been shared online with you
• Misspellings or grammatical errors
• Any message that seems odd or out of character for the sender

If the message looks questionable for any reason, trust that twinge of suspicion. Verify the message with the sender through a different communication channel or report the email using the PhishAlarm button in Outlook.