WHAT'S THE WORST THAT COULD HAPPEN?
In 2019 alone, 65% of U.S. organizations experienced a successful phishing attack (2020 State of the Phish, Proofpoint). But, what exactly happens when an organization experiences a phishing attack and how could it impact YOU?
- LOST DATA & RANSOMWARE
- FINANCIAL LOSSES
- REPUTATION DAMAGE
- PERSONAL IMPACT
LOST DATA & RANSOMWARE
Cyber criminals are running a business, and their goal is to make a profit out of manipulating their unsuspecting victims.
Many phishing attacks aim to infect your computer or network with ransomware which locks your computer files and demands a payment to unlock them. The worst part? Even when paid their asking price, criminals have been known to delete the data anyway.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
There is only a financial impact if the phishing attack involves ransomware, right?
With more regulations built to protect consumers, even when a ransom isn't involved, the remediation costs can put a serious financial strain on any organization. That could mean layoffs, cutbacks, and even closed business doors for your organization.
REPUTATION DAMAGE
Businesses pride themselves on their positive reputation in their community. What happens when you lose that trust?
People do business with companies they trust. They entrust you with their personal information, their credit card data, and more that, if compromised, could put them at risk of identity theft. When you break this trust, building back long-lasting relationships and repeat customers can take years.
PERSONAL IMPACT
Phishing only impacts my employer, why should I care about cybersecurity at all? It doesn't personally impact me.
For serious incidents, you could face severe consequences, which could even include possible termination. But phishing doesn't just impact you professionally. It's important to remember phishing attacks happen on personal email accounts and can impact you and your loved ones - cyber criminals don't discriminate.
Note: This was a simulated phishing attack and any references to a company and their logo or trademark are for educational purposes only. Phishing emails are in no way associated with the company mentioned in the email.
4 SIMPLE STEPS TO IDENTIFYING PHISHING EMAILS
Watch the quick training video below to learn how using the 4-step S.L.A.M method can help you identify phishing emails!
LEARNING FROM YOUR MISTAKES
Falling for a phishing simulation can make you feel anxious or scared, but remember, these small tests are built to help you train your brain into making spotting phishing emails second nature! Just like you have to train your body for a marathon, you have to train your brain to fight cyber crime! We're here to help you do just that.
"Why am I being tested?"
We take the protection of sensitive company data - and the impact it can have, seriously! Human error accounts for a majority of data breaches and while technology like spam filters minimize the number of threats hitting your inbox, it isn't foolproof. It's up to US to be the last line of defense!
"How can I do my part?"
With cybercriminals making a business of tricking their victims, it's more important than ever that we all do our part to make sure we don't become the next victim of cyber crime. Use what you learned in the training video to help spot and stop phishing emails in their tracks!
