Cyber Risk Management — Phishing

Recent events (e.g. the cyber-attacks on the Democratic National Committee during the recent United States election) are important reminders of the need for vigilance against one of the most common and successful kinds of cyber-attacks — phishing. Organizations should take appropriate technical and administrative precautions to protect against phishing attacks.

What is Phishing?

Phishing is the use of a fraudulent message that purports to be from a trusted source (e.g. a financial institution, government organization, online service, colleague or friend) designed to cause the recipient to inadvertently disclose sensitive information (e.g. passwords or credit card details) or install malware on their computing device. There are various kinds of phishing. For example: