Number 8 on the original post was this: DON’T CLICK LINKS.

But you did.

If that email had been a phishing attempt (it was not), you would have fell victim.

Once a link is clicked, hackers do illegal things your business:

  1. Download malware directly to your computer. This can be used to target your entire network and spread to others.
  2. Download ransomware. This can encrypt all your data. In other words, you lose all access to your data until you pay money to get it back.
  3. Send you to a fictitious webpage to collect data on a data-stealing form.
  4. Followed up with a phone call to further scam you and lend legitimacy to the first email. This can happen in reverse order also – you get a phone call and then an email you think is legitimate because of the call.
  5. Instruct you to contact “tech support” to “immediately fix your vulnerability”.
  6. Target your DNS server, overwrite its settings and redirect URLs to their scam sites.
  7. Access your contacts and send phishing email to them too.
  8. Use your computer to process other spam.
  9. Steal your passwords, social security number and other information with a key logger.
  10. Steal bank account numbers by taking screen shots of open browser windows.
  11. Steal your software or store stolen software on your computer for their cronies.
  12. Sometimes they won’t do anything other than use your computer to victimize others.

As you can see, there are so many ways phishing is used to exploit businesses and their staff. Hackers are devising more every day.

Visit our blog post 9 Ways to Spot Email Phishing Scams to discover ways to spot and protect your business from phishing attacks.


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