How To Avoid Phishing Attacks Tips to Avoid it

October marks National Cyber Security Awareness Month, an important campaign to help educate people about the importance of remaining vigilant and safe when on the internet.

In an age where cyber attacks are occurring more and more, we need to understand how we can protect ourselves, our identity and our important information. A recent infographic from Digital Guardian has looked into what we can do to recognise and avoid phishing attacks.

So, just what exactly is Phishing? These attacks are used by cybercriminals to con people into sharing personal information or installing malware. Once this information has been shared, you can open yourself up to a whole world of fraud.

Fraudsters will often use emails that appear to look legitimate in order to trick users, so the best way to avoid a Phishing attack is to keep your eyes open for any signs. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If it’s from a company or service you use, check the email address before you reply. If in doubt, contact a known number for the company before sending any information or money to check that it actually came from them.

This technique isn’t strictly limited to the internet either. ‘Vishing’ is when people contact you via the phone and ‘Smishing’ is when people try to con you via text message.

Take a read of the infographic below and remember to use your common sense.