The Definition of Phishing and Why Awareness is Important

Do you want to know the definition of phishing? Have you come across a phishing email? Then this guide is just for you as it will define phishing in the easiest way possible. It looks at what is phishing. The phishing definition tells us that it is a form of fraud wherein attackers masquerade as someone reputable in an email or through any other communication channel. Phishing emails are used by the attacker to distribute malicious attachments or links that can perform a wide range of functions such as the extraction of account information or login credentials from a victim.

Phishing is extremely popular among cybercriminals since it is much easier to trick a person into clicking a malicious attachment or link through a seemingly legitimate phishing email, instead of trying to break through the person’s computer defenses.

So How Does Phishing Work?

Normally, phishing attacks rely on social networking methods applied to an electronic communication method like an email. Some of the phishing examples include sending direct messages on social media, through text messages or any other instant messaging platform.

Social engineering or any other public sources of information through social networks like Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn can be used to gather background information regarding the work or personal history of an individual. It also includes keeping an eye on the person’s activities or interests online.  It is important for users and employees to be aware of phishing.

Why Is Phishing Awareness Important?

If you want to better understand what is phishing, it is vital that you know why is phishing awareness important. By making your workforce aware of phishing attacks, it will allow you to assess the overall maturity of the organization when it comes to security awareness. Subsequently, effective phishing awareness training should be provided to employees so that they can better handle a situation when there is a phishing attack.

It is important that you put your employees to the test to see if they know what is phishing. Besides understanding the phishing definition, you should know where employees stand in terms of knowledge and skills.

Conclusion

Phishing attacks are on the rise and they have started to make global headlines. Attackers are cleverer than you think. They might already know everything about your employees. This is why employers need to invest in phishing awareness to prevent any devastating effects from occurring.