Cyber security is big business. As a business owner, it is critical to understand the potential threats to your business and take proactive steps to protect your organization. While firewalls, antivirus, antimalware and even active monitoring are great practices, there is another threat that even these advanced solutions can’t protect against.

Phishing is the use of social techniques rather than technical techniques to gain access to a system. Instead of finding vulnerabilities in code and security solutions that will allow a back door into your network, more and more frequently, hackers are simply tricking you and your employees into inviting them right in through the front door. Phishing schemes look to trick people into providing secure login credentials to a system. This could include bank accounts, email accounts, social accounts, IRS accounts or you’re your own intranet.

With phishing a hacker may sends an email pretending to be someone they are not in attempt to persuade you to give over your credentials. Both the email and the connected login page may look completely legitimate. Most of the time, phishers are after usernames and passwords, but they may also seek personal information such as social security numbers in order to information depending on the complexity of the attack. It only takes one mistake for an individual or an organization to fall victim to phishing – opening the front door for criminals to walk right through – and when you open the front door, traditional cyber security methods are limited in their effectiveness.

Preventing Phishing – Keep it Simple

There are many complicated ways of protecting your organization from cyber attacks, but don’t overlook the simple one. Educate your employees about the dangers of phishing. Provide them with the tools and ability to look out for phishing schemes. Advise them to never open an email attachment, follow a link, and enter secure information without being 100 percent certain of the authenticity of the request.

More than anything, it is important to keep cyber security and awareness at the forefront for you organization. Preventing one mistake could prevent a major nightmare.