---
title: What Is Phishing? Why It Kills Companies, and How to Spot It.
description: What Is Phishing? Why It Kills Companies, and How to Spot It.
---

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# What Is Phishing? Why It Kills Companies, and How to Spot It.

[ulisticsupport](https://blog.360smartnetworks.com/blog/author/ulisticsupport)

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## What is Phishing?

**Most hackers don't try to steal your data ... they try to trick you into giving it up willingly. How does this affect businesses?**

Here's a better question—*what do cybercriminals really do?* The answer may shock you.

Aren't hackers as devious IT wizards, scouring code to find chinks in firewalls, crack encryptions, and penetrate formidable security measures?

Not entirely. Proper [cybersecurity](https://www.360smartnetworks.com/cybersecurity-companies-in-atlanta/) is actually very strong and getting stronger every year. Most hackers don't even try.

**Instead, data thieves try to hack *you*.**

Their target is not vulnerabilities in data security, but *vulnerabilities in human psychology*. 90% of all successful data breaches start with the embarrassingly low-tech tactic we call **"Phishing."**

Phishing is the most popular form of "social [engineering](https://www.360smartnetworks.com/managed-it-services-atlanta/engineering-it-services/)," cybercriminal vernacular for a confidence scam.

Acquiring its signature spelling from early hackers who called themselves "phreaks," *phishing* is what it sounds like — casting a scam far and wide and seeing who falls for it, who "bites."

### What Does Phishing Look Like?

In its most simple form, phishing involves a mass email that attempts to dupe the recipient into clicking a link to a malware download or replying with personal data like their social security number, password, or credit card info.

**Contact 360 Smart Networks for examples of real phishing emails.**

Versions have also evolved to target SMS (text message) inboxes (**"smishing"**) and phone calls or voice mail (**"vishing"**).

More targeted scams, where the phisher includes personal details to make the ruse more believable, are called **"spear phishing."**

In most cases, the phisher builds trust by posing as a trustworthy source. For example:

- **CEO Fraud. **The email purports to come from the CEO or president of a major firm, often spoofing the firm's domain for the email address.
- **Brand Fraud. **The email seems to come from a trustworthy source, like a bank, IT administrator, or a popular site like Facebook or eBay.
- **Link Manipulation.** The email contains a link that does not lead where it says it leads.
- **Website Forgery. **The phisher may build a "lookalike" website for a popular brand like Amazon.com. Alternately, the criminal may inject corrupted content into a legitimate website.

### How Damaging is Phishing?

S**ome of the most cataclysmic data breaches of the last decade started with humble phishing,** including:

- **Equifax, 2017. **A disastrous breach of the credit bureau's security exposed *143 million Americans' sensitive records.*
- **Amazon, 2017.** A "Prime Day" phishing email tempted users with fake deals to collect their payment info.
- **Google and Facebook, 2017. **Over *$100 million* was wired overseas before the FBI caught the hacker.
- **Home Depot, 2014. **Over *100 million credit cards *were exposed.
- **Apple iCloud, 2014. **Over 500 private photographs stolen from celebrities' iCloud accounts, many containing nudity, were made public.
- **Target, 2013. **Over *110 million credit cards* were exposed. The CEO and security team lost their jobs in the furor.

In 2017, **76% of companies** were targeted with phishing attacks, **67% of the attacks aimed at low-level employees.** Microsoft reported a **250% increase** in phishing in the subsequent year.

60% of all companies that suffer a major data breach **close their doors permanently within six months.**

### How do I Spot Phishing Attacks?

Be on the lookout for the following telltale signs of a phishing message:

- **Designed to make you panic. **Threats of a breach, account closure, collection, arrest, etc. try to provoke rash action.
- **Asks you to "confirm" sensitive information.** Legitimate companies do not request personal information by email.
- **Poorly-written. **Many hackers skip quality control on their spelling and grammar.
- **Untrustworthy email address. **Some phishers don't bother with domain spoofing, trusting that out of millions of recipients someonewill get careless.
- **Suspicious attachment. **Never download an attachment that appeared out of the blue. *When in doubt, throw it out.*
- **Suspicious link. **Hover the mouse arrow over the link before clicking it.Your browser should show you where the link *really *goes.

**Reach out to 360 Smart Networks for more tips to guard against Phishing.**

### Leave a Comment

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