´What are your top 3 tips to help others avoid phishing scams?´
Phishing is personal, in its methods and the information the attack attempt to gain access to. Bad actors troll your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other readily available sources as a means of reconnaissance to learn as much personal data as they can to increase their success rate. We have already been programmed with some of the best defenses against phishing – a healthy dose of skepticism, instinct and others we trust.
1) Being a creature of habit has its vitues; if you do not normally get request from your bank to reply with personal information, now is not a good time to start.
2) Trust your gut! If you suspect an e-mail, phone call or other attempt to solicit information is not what it appears, pause and re-evaluate.
3) When all else fails, seek the counsel of someone you trust. We all have someone we trust to ask security questions of. Even those of us that live and breathe security need a sanity check once in a while.
We. All of us. Are the the last lines of defense against Spear/Whale Phishing. Hyper awareness is not necessary, however, I find that applying the tried and true business and life practice of giving yourself time to digest before acting pays large dividends.
Gabriel Gumbs | WhiteHat Security | Managing Director, Solutions Architecture | @GabrielGumbs
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