Phishing Attacks: Ten Simple Steps to Avoid Becoming a Victim

Phishing attacks are on the rise as cyber crime takes advantage of every opportunity to steal money from innocent victims.  The Anti-Phishing Workgroup January 2007 report showed an increase of 67.4 percent in phishing attacks over the same month in 2006. 

The recent banking acquisitions are a perfect example of how phishing takes advantage of the news of the day.  Over the last week there has been an increase of phishing attacks related to recent bank acquisitions.  Due to the increase of this activity you need to remain cautious when receiving unsolicited e-mail that could be a potential phishing attack.

The stock market slide will undoubtedly spark even more spam and phishing attacks over the coming weeks. 

You can't prevent phishing attacks, however you can avoid becoming a victim by following ten simple steps

Cyber criminals are creative and always looking for new ways to attract more victims.  That is why I say you can't prevent phishing attacks, however there are basic common sense steps to avoid becoming a victim by following ten simple steps. 

1. Make sure your computer is updated and scanned regularly (as scheduled or manually) with a corporate grade computer security suite.  There is a huge difference in quality between over-the-counter products and a managed professional grade computer service.

2. Ensure that your windows desktop protection is current by going to Windows update.  Confirm that you have an updated professional grade anti virus software program running on your PC.

3. Do not trust any e-mail that urgently requests personal information of any kind.  Banks and other reputable businesses and organizations do not operate this way.

4. Never click on links in e-mails claiming to be from a legitimate business or organization.  Many phishing attacks download Trojan horse viruses and other malware onto a computer when a link in the e-mail is clicked on.  Make sure the e-mail is from a reputable source before clicking on a link.

5. Never enter your username and password until you are sure you are at a legitimate web site.  Legitimate organizations generally do not ask you to verify username, password except for an initial set up.

6. Do not call any number or use any link in a suspect e-mail.  Always verify the phone number through a reputable source before calling otherwise you may fall prey to their scam.

7. Suspect every impersonal e-mail. Phishing attacks are mailed out to millions of people.  For this reason, they are general in nature. 

8. Phishing attacks often ask for personal financial information.  Never fill out personal information of any kind including passwords, usernames, social security numbers, credit card numbers, and the like through a form on the Internet.  A request of this kind should be a big warning.

9. Do not open e-mail attachments.  In particular, e-mail attachments with ".scr," ".com" and ".exe" file extensions are likely malicious.

10. Always report suspicious activity to the business or organization being spoofed. 

There's no such thing as preventing phishing attacks.  However, by applying the information in this article "Phishing Attacks: The Ten Simple Steps to Avoid Becoming a Victim" you will avoid falling for their traps.

Only a small percentage of people fall for the phishing attack ploys.  Cyber criminals understand this.  They know by sending out millions of phishing e-mail the numbers are on their side.  It only takes a few suckers to make a good profit.  With the right knowledge your chances of falling for a phishing attack are very low.