When someone hears the word “phishing”, they often picture someone sitting on a dock with a fishing pole. Of course, phishing is not the same as fishing, though both share similar traits, according to IT support experts in LA. They both try to get someone (or something) to take the bait.

It’s easy to know when someone is fishing. But, can you spot when someone is phishing for a way to infiltrate your company?

What Exactly Is Phishing?

Phishing works by convincing the target that the hacker is actually someone else. If the target of the attack takes the bait, the hacker stands to gain valuable information or access to the company’s network.

For example, your A/P person opens what appears to be an email from your biggest vendor with an attachment. That attachment is not an invoice, however. It’s actually malware that starts spreading throughout your network. That’s a successful phishing attack.

Spotting a Phishing Attack

The two most common types of phishing attacks, according to IT support experts in LA, are:

• Deceptive – This is where an attacker sends out thousands of emails posing as a bank or other common company. All it takes is a few people to click on the link inside the email to make the attack successful.
• Spear – This kind of phishing attack is focused on an individual. The attacker gathers specific information about that person, then creates a focused attack. The A/P attack above is a good example of this.

There are generally two ways to spot a phishing attack:

• The sender’s email address doesn’t make sense. For example, the emails claim to be from a bank, but the sender’s email is a Google account.
• The links in the email don’t make sense. For example, instead of linking to the bank’s website, the link goes somewhere completely different.

Securing your company against phishing attacks requires taking better precautions. Contact us now at Advanced Networks. We are the IT consultants in LA businesses rely on for their security needs. We also provide IT support for LA businesses.