Spear phishing is an email or electronic communications scam targeted towards a specific victim, and messages are modified to specifically address that victim. Spear phishers require more thought and time to achieve than phishing attacks. Attackers try to obtain as much personal information about their victims as possible to make emails look legitimate.
Take these precautions, to reduce your risk of a spear-phishing attack:
- Be wary of urgent e-mails requesting money, wire transfers, passwords, or any personal information.
- Take care looking at the sender’s address and read carefully for incorrect spelling or vocabulary.
- Do NOT respond to the e-mail or forward the email to anyone unless you can verify it is legitimate.
- Educate all employees about this risk. Ensure they know what scam entitles, precautionary measures and the process of reaction if they are to unfortunately fall victim.