Safeguarding: A user-focused strategy against phishing threats

In the ever-evolving landscape of cybersecurity, one of the most significant and universal threats faced by businesses today is phishing. Phishing activity operates as a dark network by using misleading tactics to exploit innocent individuals and organisations. With the constant evolution of techniques, these phishing activities have become a more sophisticated threat to cybersecurity. 

Imagine receiving an email seemingly from your bank, urgently claiming a security issue with your account. This email displays your bank’s logo, uses official language, and includes links that prompt to verify your account details immediately. The link, however, leads to a particularly crafted phishing website designed to mimic the bank’s login page. 

Despite its realistic appearance, these websites are aimed to procure confidential data. Such tricky forms of cyber attacks and phishing include targeting human vulnerability and thereby misleading individuals into exposing sensitive information or unintentionally downloading malicious content. 

When some of these are sent from a reliable source, it becomes even more difficult to determine its authenticity. Hackers often influence physiological tactics and use current events to make phishing threats appear genuine, emphasising urgency or using official branding to deceive innocent individuals. According to recent reports, the number of phishing websites is on the rise, reaching millions globally. 

Since the attack looks so real, it is important to understand how to mitigate these threats. This becomes even more challenging in large organisations and thereby calls for automation. To combat risk effectively, businesses must not only understand the details of phishing attacks but also build a robust security infrastructure capable of identifying and flagging phishing websites in real-time. 

Need for comprehensive defence strategy

A comprehensive defence strategy is necessary to counter the ongoing threat of phishing. To proactively discover and flag data threats, businesses must build strong security planning for the automated reporting of phishing websites by integrating advanced threat detection technologies that will help update the database with identified phishing signs.

A quick response protocol is essential in addressing reported phishing attacks, which involves not only internal actions but also collaboration with law enforcement agencies for efficient takedown procedures. In a large-scale organisation, multiple employees are accessing varied sites. 

To enhance security at the server level, the organisation should deploy a dedicated hardware appliance known as a ‘unified threat management’ device. The device integrates multiple security features into a single platform, providing comprehensive protection against various threats, including phishing attacks. 

This typically includes a web application firewall. The firewall is configured to enforce strict access controls, ensuring that employees have appropriate permission based on their roles. It scans incoming and outgoing web traffic, using advanced content filtering to identify and block potential threats.

Technological solutions, such as Domain Name System that provides cloud-based web filtering solutions, offer enhanced security against malicious software, phishing scams, and other online threats. You can make sure that your network is safe and that your staff members are protected with real-time analysis and customised filtering settings.

The web filtering settings are simple to manage from any location. With just a few clicks, you can restrict access to categories of material, block problematic websites, and track online activity whether you are at work or home or on the go. 

Additionally, there is ‘multi-factor authentication’, which ensures that unwanted access is prevented. However, this is sometimes not enough when dealing with spear phishing attacks. There is a need for phishing-resistant multi-factor authentication that detects cyber threats like push bombing where cyber criminals send multiple notifications to employees, requesting them to enter their credentials. 

Cyber criminals use these credentials to gain initial access to victim’s networks and then shoot a second factor to their own smartphone or other device to gain complete access. To counter such sophisticated attacks, organisations must remain vigilant and proactive in cybersecurity. While multi-factor authentication is crucial, continual improvement of security measures is essential to outsmart cybercriminals. 

By implementing robust authentication methods and educating employees about cybersecurity best practices, businesses can effectively safeguard against phishing threats and ensure a safer online environment for everyone involved. 

To conclude, a battle against phishing threats is an ever-evolving domain which requires a holistic and automated approach. By connecting industry insights, proactive monitoring, interactive reporting, and advanced technologies, organisations can build a robust security infrastructure. This not only shields businesses from potential flagging of phishing websites but also creates a safer digital environment for customers. Therefore, a comprehensive approach that involves technology, education, and awareness is needed. 

The author is CTO, AnexGATE and Founder and CEO, NetSense CyberSecurity Pvt Ltd.