Knowledge is Power - 6 Ways To Protect Yourself Online

It’s clear that executive leaders like yourself are valuable targets in terms of cyber security. Now I know you might be thinking to yourself: “But my IT department has me covered. We have a spam filter and a really good AntiVirus.”

The problem is, while all of that is great and needed, hackers are continually figuring out ways to get around the protections that are put in place. And so, you still need to learn some basic self-protection.

Phishing is defined as: “a form of fraud in which an attacker masquerades as a reputable entity or person in email or other forms of communication.”

And is the easiest and most common way for hackers to infiltrate your business and compromise your digital identity. Being familiar with this primary method by which hackers will attempt to get to you and gain control of your identity, privileges, and authority will enable you to prepare yourself.

Now that we know what that method is, phishing, and we know that’s likely how hackers will come at you, lets answer the BIG question-

How do you - as a non-technical leader, defend yourself?

The answer is:

Learn to Recognize a phishing email.

There are 3 main types of phishing emails that you should be familiar with:

1. Generic Phishing
2. Spear Phishing Emails
3. Executive Whaling

First, we have Generic Email Phishing.

This is what most of us are familiar with and you probably already know how to spot one. The main features of Generic Email Phishing are:

• Casting a wide net – meaning hackers essentially just send these to any email address they can get.
• Common vendors – they are generally calling out a specific vendor, for example saying they are from Microsoft and need you to click a link in order to protect your computer from hackers.

This type can be easy to detect, hackers don’t spend a lot of time or effort in crafting the messages. The wording and suspicious phrases in these emails are easy to spot.

Spear Phishing emails are the second type.

These types of emails are:

• Focused – emails addressed to a specific individual at a company. Perhaps someone in IT, accounting, or maybe even HR. There’s a specific goal to get this individual to click a link.
• Personalized – these emails are tailored to the targeted employee and made to sound interesting to them. Often social media is used to find interests to this employee, so they are more likely to click.
• Harder to detect – for these types of emails, more effort is put in to make them look believable. The spelling and grammar are improved to further appear legitimate.

Executive Whaling is the final example - but also the most dangerous to you!

These emails are the ones that will be aimed at you directly and for which you need to be most aware of.

The characteristics of an Executive Whaling email are:

• Targeted – as in these are laser targeted for you. They know who you are, and the attackers are specifically going after you for your Identity, Privileges, and Authority.
• Detailed knowledge – remember how we mentioned social media above for Spear Phishing? Well, it’s that times 10. Meaning the attackers are looking everywhere they can to find details about you so they can craft the perfect email that, in your busy day to get things done, you just might click on without a second thought.
• Hardest to recognize – while these attackers might be offshore, though not always, they are putting their best efforts into designing and wording an email that is pristine in its spelling and grammar. So much so that you likely will not be able to recognize the telltale signs. But still, being familiar with those signs is your best defense to identify this type of attack email.

Essentially Though – they All Work the Same Way

Not sure what elements to look for in a phishing email?

The next step in defending yourself is to become familiar with the elements of a phishing attack. Several elements make up the typical phishing email and being even a little familiar will help you be prepared when a real live phish drops into your inbox.

There are 6 important elements:

1. Check the Email Address
2. Generic Greetings
3. Urgency or Pressure
4. Unusual Requests
5. Poor Spelling or Grammar
6. Suspicious Attachments or Links

Sender's Email Address

One of the first things to check when you receive an email is the sender's email address. Cybercriminals often use fake or impersonated email addresses to trick you into thinking that the email is from a trusted source. Therefore, it is crucial to check the email address carefully, and make sure that it matches the company or individual that the email claims to be from.

Generic Greetings

We expect emails to be addressed to us directly and when they’re not, typically we infer them to be simply sales or vendor related. These types of emails tend to be handled a bit more frivolously as we click in them to see what it is this vendor is trying to get at. But it’s this careless approach to these generic salesy emails that catches us off guard when they are in fact phishing attacks with generic greetings meant to appear like bulk email. Indeed, they ARE bulk email, but bulk phishing email intended to catch you in their wide net. Avoid clicking on any and every link in generic looking emails just to figure out what the email’s intent is. If you can’t tell or don’t recognize the intent, delete the email and move on. Or better yet, report it using your organizations email reporting feature often found in Outlook or your email client software.

Urgency or Pressure

Phishing emails often use urgency or pressure to try to make you take quick action. They may threaten that your account will be suspended or terminated, or that you will lose access to important data if you do not take immediate action. However, it is important to remain calm and avoid rushing into any action without first verifying the legitimacy of the email.

Unusual Requests

Phishing emails often contain unusual requests or demands that are out of the ordinary. For example, they may ask you to provide sensitive information that you would not normally be asked for, or to send money or make a payment using an unusual payment method. If you receive such a request, it is important to be skeptical and verify the request with the sender through a trusted channel (such as picking up the phone and calling them with a phone number you already have or is listed on their website).

Poor Spelling and Grammar

Phishing emails are often written in poor English, with misspelled words and grammatical errors. This is because cybercriminals often operate in countries where English is not the first language. Therefore, if you notice any spelling or grammatical errors, it is a sign that the email may be a phishing attempt.

• (Bonus Tip – with the emergence of ChatGPT and other AI apps, attackers can now compose ever more convincing email copy making this element likely less useful as a means to identify phishing emails as time goes on).

Suspicious Attachments or Links

Another common feature of phishing emails is the presence of suspicious attachments or links. These attachments or links may contain malware, which can infect your computer or network and steal sensitive information. Therefore, it is important to avoid clicking on any links or opening any attachments that you do not recognize or were not expecting.

Six Ways To Further Protect Yourself

1. Slow down – as in, I know you’re busy, I know you have a ton of things to do, but as you read through your emails, take a minute to really read what is being asked. Especially if there is a link to click or action being asked (like to reply or call a phone number). Take a moment to check the common details of a phishing email and just be extra careful and certain that the email you’re reading is legitimate.
2. Hover over links to see details – remember, you can hover your mouse of a link in an email and see the actual URL. Do this for any links that seem out of place, better yet, do this for any links period really! Just confirm that the URL there is legitimate and expected.
3. Do not click links in emails – another thing you can do is simply copy and paste links over to an incognito or safe search browser window. In other words, rather than click the link in the email, copy it to a browser window that you know is more secure and paste it there to view the link.
4. Never use phone numbers from emails – this is the oldest trick in the book. You get an email- they ask you to call a phone number to verify some important information. You call that number, they say they will send you a link to click, and bam, they have access to your computer. Always verify phone numbers from a trusted source.
5. Verify you have MFA in place – you know, the code you have to always enter, or the app that buzzes your phone that you need to click Approve on. Make sure your email, remote access, financial information, and all other important systems are asking you for this 2nd factor code or prompt. This will help protect you should your password be exposed to a hacker.
6. Use a unique strong password – or rather, don’t use your dog’s name with a 1 at the end. Choose a good password or passphrase. Then, choose another one for the next system. It’s imperative these days to not be using the same password for all your systems. Or at the very least, a different password for all the important systems.

While it’s easy to say “I’ll leave this to IT or Security”, as an executive with a target on your back, it’s up to you to learn what phishing entails and the characteristics of emails crafted just for you. By applying the simple steps outlined above and practicing with each email you receive, you’ll be well on your way to preventing the financial pain and reputational damage that a phishing attack can lead to.

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