6 lessons from horror films for avoiding phishing attacks



So when you’re next watching a horror film, don’t dismiss the characters as stupid unless you’re sure that no one in the room is among the many people who are tricked by phishing scams every year. After all, cyber criminals aren’t all that different from cinematic serial killers.

Don’t believe us?


1. They’re clearly suspicious





2. They appear from nowhere




3. They prey on people’s curiosity


In both scenarios, the soon-to-be victim knows immediately that there’s something strange going on. But even though they realise that the bait could lead to something terrible happening, there’s also a chance that everything will be fine. Maybe they really have won an iPhone.



4. They masquerade as people you know


But while we wait for Invasion of the Whaling Emails, many people live that film every day. In a typical example, an employee will get an email from who they believe to be their boss, which tells them to send important work documents. What’s actually happened is that a cyber criminal has gained access to the boss’s email account and is trying to misappropriate sensitive information.

The employee might realise that the request is unusual, but chooses to comply with it in case it turns out to be a genuine request. If they didn’t send over those documents and wound up responsible for the organisation losing an important contract or missing a deadline, they’d be in serious trouble.




5. They make manipulative phone calls




6. They keep coming back



This scam has become such a big problem that Ireland’s Revenue Commissioners, the UK’s HM Revenue and Customs, Spain’s Tax Agency and many others have published guidance on recognising genuine emails. However, as long as the scam keeps drawing people in, criminals will keep going back to it.


Protect yourself from phishing attacks

Once you know about the dangers of phishing, you can go from being Sarah Connor in The Terminator to Sarah Connor in T-2. And like The Terminator, people’s reliance on technology will be their downfall. There is no foolproof technology to prevent phishing, as Mimecast’s third quarterly Email Security Risk Assessment proved. The report found that 24% of all malicious emails pass through spam filters, leaving millions of phishing scams in people’s inboxes every day.

Phishing Staff Awareness CourseThe most effective way to defend against phishing in your organisation is to invest in staff training. Our Phishing Staff Awareness Course uses real-life examples and practical tips to help employees understand how phishing works and how to avoid falling victim.

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