What is Whaling Phishing Attacks and How to Prevent it

Whaling Phishing attack is a type of cyber-attack which is executed to perform phishing attack with the purpose of getting the control of data. It normally targets strong, wealthy and prominent individuals to gain the maximum profits out of it. Usually, the targets of the attack are c-suite, high-profile people and big phish, therefore it also called whale.

It is quite a different attack as compared to other phishing attacks as it uses slightly advanced techniques. Here the web pages and emails take place to target the victims by scamming them on a serious look and purposely. This attack is especially executed for a specific person or organization.

A random phishing attack takes place to get the login and password of the social media websites or banking information which reflect the normal phishing email and websites. Wherein, when cyber attackers target then they use particular to address the manager to target.

Statistics of Whaling Phishing Attack

According to the reports of FBI, due to phishing attacks organizations lost around 215 million dollars back in 2014. Wherein, as per the Verizon DBIR, 61 phishing attacks targeted the finance groups in 2016 which increased to 170 in 2017. The number of attacks got double in the year 2017 and it is growing since.

How to Prevent Whaling Phishing Attacks?

To prevent Whaling phishing attacks, you need to stay ahead of progressively trendy phishing campaigns. Following these tactics will also help you to handle regular phishing attacks, Spear Phishing Attacks and Denial-of-Service Attacks. So, here some of the ways to prevent whaling phishing attacks and stay safe.

Also Read : How to Spot a Phishing Email?

Know Your Vulnerabilities and Threats

First and foremost, you need to know about the vulnerabilities that can get you into trouble or prone to cyber-attacks. It is also essential to stay updated about the types of threats to you are defending to ensure you won’t end up a victim of phishing attacks and Whaling Phishing attacks.  If you are running a small business, then you need to a reliable IT team that is dedicated about searching and gaining knowledge about the latest cybersecurity threats and treads. Firms can hire advisors to deal with the dangerous phishing attacks.

Get A Right Software

As Precaution is better than cure, so having the extra layer of protection is always a great idea to strengthen the security. Easily avert phishing links, and infected emails from entering into a system are key. You can use the powerful encryption and strong anti-virus software, anti-malware tool, and other backup programs that have the capabilities to handle the data and security.

Other Best Approaches

• Educate the firm employees on how to identify phishing emails and what is whaling attack.
• Give proper training or phishing awareness training to all the employees about the mandated security and set pattern that is applied by cyber attackers to target people.
• Always check the email address is legitimate or not.
• In case, email seems suspicious call and confirm the person.
• Another effective way is to flag all the emails that you have received outside from your firm. It is an efficient way to find out the potential scam email or email that is infected.
• Keep a tab on your social media platforms as it is the easiest approach to easily target people.
• Enable privacy restrictions to safeguard your privacy and personal information. It will also minimize the exposure to data that can be used for scams.
• Go with 2-factor verifications for your accounts.
• Lock your sensitive, personal and financial data.
• Enable security tool or firewall, to ensure your data protection.
• Track suspicious behavior or usual activity.

Must Read : How To Know If Someone Is Phishing You?

The Bottom Line

The best defense is a good offence, keeping your security tight is the best way to prevent Whaling Phishing Attacks.  You can invest in the latest and advanced technology solutions deal with Whaling Phishing Attacks.