Why Can Emails Be So Dangerous?

This article covers the basics of phishing attacks and why phishing emails can be so dangerous.

What is the goal of a phishing email?

Emails are commonly used for phishing attacks.

  1. As a consumer, phishers target your cash and credit.
  2. As a computer user, they want to gain control of your computer and/or network.
  3. As an employee, they will use your credentials to gain access to your enterprise resources and data.

A "traditional" phishing attack tries to trick users into submitting sensitive data (such as usernames and passwords) by presenting a fake login form. Often the login form appears to be authentic, but the site is really controlled by "bad guys."

There have been successful phishing attempts against CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, security professionals, IT administrators, customer service representatives, and accountants alike.

Every user will be targeted at some point.

Need More Help?

To learn more about phishing, view the chapter on Spear Phishing.

Contact the IT Help Desk at [email protected] or 657-278-7777 for additional assistance.

For more resources, view the Spear Phishing Help & Resources article.