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User awareness and education continue to be one of the biggest obstacles to cyber security today and this has been repeatedly highlighted in a rainbow spectrum of bright fluorescent colours all over local cyber news this month. Phishing for dream job offers are explicitly preying on the unwary and Australia wide scamming losses are at a record high. Fake emails from global job seeker and networking service LinkedIn have exploded in the first quarter of 2022. Cyber security company Checkpoint discovered that LinkedIn imitations made up 52% of global phishing attacks so far this year – six times higher than in 2021 where it accounted for 8%.
While there are many email filtering systems to help prevent phishing attacks, we will always rely on user education and training as the final step.
- If you are not expecting e-mail from LinkedIn, do not open e-mails from LinkedIn.
- If you suspect an e-mail is legitimate but you are uncertain, here are some tips from Microsoft on how to spot a phishing e-mail.
- Be suspicious of unexpected e-mail particularly from social media platforms, shopping/shipping services, and online service providers like Google and Microsoft.
Checkpoint’s list of most imitated companies Q1 2022
1. LinkedIn (relating to 52% of all phishing attacks globally)
2. DHL (14%)
3. Google (7%)
4. Microsoft (6%)
5. FedEx (6%)
6. WhatsApp (4%)
7. Amazon (2%)
8. Maersk (1%)
9. AliExpress (0.8%)