{"id":125,"date":"2015-02-23T08:02:28","date_gmt":"2015-02-23T14:02:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ericlambert.net\/blog\/?p=125"},"modified":"2015-02-23T08:02:28","modified_gmt":"2015-02-23T14:02:28","slug":"dont-get-hooked-phishing-spear-phishing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ericlambert.net\/blog\/2015\/02\/23\/dont-get-hooked-phishing-spear-phishing\/","title":{"rendered":"Don\u2019t get Hooked by Phishing or Spear Phishing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cyber attacks such as the Anthem breach, the Home Depot breach, and the Target breach are becoming almost commonplace.\u00a0 Major cyber attacks compromising information about millions of people often start not with a bang, but a whisper – a \u201cphishing\u201d or \u201cspear phishing\u201d email through which an attacker tries to acquire login credentials that can be used to launch a sophisticated and crippling attack. Over 90% of cyber attacks take the form of, or start with, a spear phishing attack, and phishing attacks are also very common. These attacks happen both in the office and at home. Phishing and spear phishing attacks can happen at any time<\/span>, and can target any person or employee<\/span>.<\/p>\n

What is \u201cPhishing?<\/span><\/strong>\u201d <\/strong>In a \u201cphishing\u201d attack, an attacker uses an email sent to a broad group of recipients<\/strong> (and not targeted to a specific group) to\u00a0impersonate a company or business<\/strong> in an effort to get you to reveal personal information or login IDs\/passwords, or to install malware or exploit a security hole on your computer.\u00a0 It generally uses an official-looking email and website to gather information, and often contains the logo(s) of the company it is impersonating.<\/p>\n

What is \u201cSpear Phishing?<\/span><\/strong>\u201d <\/strong>In a \u201cspear phishing\u201d attack, an attacker uses an email tailored for a specific group of recipients<\/strong> (e.g., a group of employees at a specific business), often impersonating an individual such as someone from your own company or business,<\/strong> in an effort to get you to reveal personal information, login IDs\/passwords, to steal money or data, or to install malware or exploit a security hole on your computer.<\/p>\n

How do I spot a phishing or spear phishing email<\/span><\/strong>?\u00a0 <\/strong>Look for one or more of these key indicators that an email in your inbox is actually a phishing or spear phishing attack.<\/p>\n