Phishing is a widespread and global issue, with an estimated 135 million phishing emails sent every day worldwide. But not only is this a prolific issue, phishing is also ever-evolving with cybercriminals increasingly using more sophisticated mechanisms to trick people into actions such as clicking on malicious links, entering their credentials into fraudulent sites and paying fake invoices. In fact, these days, your inbox is much more likely to feature a professional-looking spear phishing email that’s tailored to you or a result of business email compromise (BEC), than a typo-filled message from a remote prince asking you to invest in a get-rich-quick scheme that's too good to be true. And while poorly written, basic phishing attacks are often detected and neutralised by static, inbound technologies - it's much more difficult for them to spot more sophisticated attacks, making it more likely they'll end up in an unsuspecting user's inbox.
Organisations and individuals have also experienced a rise in inbound email-borne threats, including phishing, as a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Cybercriminals continue to take advantage of an environment of heightened anxiety, the public's desire for information, and changes resulting from long-term remote working. From offers to purchase PPE and healthcare equipment, to emails asking employees to sign up to new seminars about their remote working set up, cybercriminals continue to spread malware or gain credentials to let them access networks and systems.
To help you detect any phishing emails that might end up in your inbox, we’ve created a short infographic listing some key information you need to know about phishing emails and how to spot them.
