The Anatomy of an Email Attack

Now that you know ransomware attacks are on the rise we thought it would be useful to share some real world examples of just how sneaky these email threats can be. Below are three suprisingly common examples of how a cybercriminal can use your own email against you. Even Yahoo! wasn’t safe from an email attack.

• A CFO gets an email from the CEO authorizing an emergency fund transfer. But the email is actually from a cybercriminal

• An employee with administrative rights to key systems receives an urgent email from IT to update their network password. They actually disclose their password to cybercriminals.

• An employee receives an email to read an important attachment about their benefits provider. When they open the attachment, they unknowingly activate hidden Trojan malware.

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Scared? We get it. Luckily, we have summarized everything you need to know and do to protect you and your data from email threats.

How can phishing hurt your business?

Phishing emails accounted for over 90% of all data breaches in 2018. Phishing can have several damaging effects on your business. First, when an employee at your business opens a phishing email, it makes your whole business susceptible of receiving the same phishing email. A common phishing email may ask for an employee to reset their password because it’s expiring. When the employee opens this email, clicks on the link and puts in their login credentials, the hacker can now access all the other contacts in their email and any company data. At this point, the hacker can send the same email reset email to all the employees in your business and gain full access to your business. This can lead to extreme financial loss, damage to reputation, loss of clients and more. For the individual employee that falls to phishing, it can result in unauthorized purchases, identity theft and loss of funds. For the business, company data and client data can be used as ransom to extort the business for money.

 Related Articles:

How to Identify a Phishing Email

Another Day Another Breach. Uber, Fitbit, OKCupid