According to a recent survey, 96% of executives failed to tell the difference between a real email and a phishing email 100% of the time.
This is among one of the key findings featured in Harpooning Executives: How Phishing Evolved into the C-Suite, a joint eBook written by Intermedia and Intel Security. This eBook highlights how phishing has evolved into “whaling” and why executives are optimal targets. Phishing and spear phishing have become increasingly popular attack strategies. Today’s cyber criminals use phishing tactics to evade traditional spam and malware filters in order to wreak havoc on corporate infrastructures.
Spear Phishers Go upstream To Reel In The Big Fish
Corporate data presents significant profit opportunities for today’s cyber criminals. As “phishers” look to increase their financial reward, executives have become prime targets for spear phishing attacks. These attacks, also known as “whaling,” leverage personal information regarding an executive to gain access to confidential data that can be exploited for profit.
Spear phishing (a fraudulent attempt to obtain confidential information from a specific organisation, using spoof email messages that appear to come from a trusted source) is one of the most commonly used cyberattacks.
According to research from the SANS Institute, 95% of all attacks on the enterprise network are the result of successful spear phishing.These attacks no longer only target large, publicly-traded companies. They can have dangerous ramifications to any business, regardless of size.
“Companies are fighting a never-ending battle against phishing attacks. This poses real risks to businesses including data theft, financial loss, and tarnished reputations,” said Michael Baker, Vice President, Intel Security. “As the phishing landscape continues to evolve, businesses need to take a more strategic approach to mitigate potential threats. Education, protection and preparation are the first steps.”
Read more about ‘How Phishing Evolved into the C-Suite’ a joint eBook written by Intermedia and Intel Security.
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