Hackers are smart – and only getting smarter. They are continually honing their attacks and searching for the weakest link – and oftentimes that is a company’s employees.
Anyone who uses a computer should be aware of the threats and trained to easily recognize malicious emails – before they can cause any damage.
Many companies have taken their training to another level by utilizing phishing-as-a-service campaigns to test – and train – their employees on how to weed out emails with ill intent.
And though employee testing and training is a critical step in keeping a company’s network safe from an attack, it can’t be the only layer of defense.
These type of training programs are not designed to keep a network fully secure. Adding on a good security solution to keep potential attacks from entering an inbox should be a company’s first step in protecting its network. Regardless of employee training, preparation and awareness, the fundamental solution to preventing these attacks is to deploy security network protection in conjunction with employee measures, giving businesses a true, proactive approach.
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Over the past 16 years, AppRiver has developed many layers of protection against phishing attacks – with our systems analyzing every attribute of every email to determine its validity. Along with that, AppRiver also has several technologies in place to protect our clients against phishing – including our proprietary, next-generation detection that combats spear phishing and business email compromise (BEC).
Spear Phishing and BEC are on track to set some very ominous records in 2018. These types of attacks already have cost businesses more than $3 billion and are currently estimated to be netting cybercriminals more than $500 million annually. With individual business losses from these attacks ranging from tens of thousands of dollars well into the millions, the devastating financial blow is one that many businesses simply can’t recover from.
Arming your employees with the knowledge on how to spot a phishing campaign – or any cyberthreat – is always a good investment since they are your last line of defense. However, stopping these cyberattacks before they have a chance to enter an inbox is crucial. After all, the groups committing these attacks are well funded, highly organized and technologically advanced. Shouldn’t your defenses be just as advanced?
For more information on how to protect your company from cyberthreats check out our whitepaper, Layer by Layer: Protecting Email from Attack in Office 365, along with our video, Simple steps to protect your computer from hackers.
To learn more about AppRiver’s security solutions, visit our website at www.appriver.com.
Troy Gill, GPEN, is a senior security analyst at AppRiver. Read more AppRiver blogs here.
