Common Phishing Attacks Include Fake HR and IT Subject Lines
Received an important document from HR? Proceed with caution. Of recent, threat actors frequently succeeded with emails impersonating HR departments. Once an unfortunate click happened, links within the email body and PDF documents often served as attack vectors. Some attackers send fake HR messages to create a sense of urgency, tricking employees into clicking links or viewing documents.
A common tactic used is playing on employees’ emotions at work with subject lines by using phrases like “Comment on your “Vacation Days Request” or “Potential Typo.” These social engineering attacks are effective because they exploit your emotions, leading you to make mistakes.
Other recent attacks have involved emails impersonating messages from Microsoft or Amazon.
Phishing emails containing QR codes have also deceived employees. Similar to malicious links, these QR codes are frequently found in emails that seem to come from well-known companies, HR, or IT departments.
Businesses can take a few steps to reduce the vulnerability to phishing attacks. Organizations should inform employees that phishing emails are no longer as obvious, often lacking the typos or blatant requests for money seen in the past. Generative AI has significantly improved translations and content refinement, enabling attackers to scale their operations more effectively and reduce the errors we typically used to see.
Employees should carefully examine URLs and email addresses, and question whether an email with an “urgent” subject line is truly legitimate. Anti-spam and anti-virus filters can intercept some social engineering and phishing attacks, while multifactor authentication can restrict attackers’ access even if a victim clicks a link or scans a QR code. Another step your business can take it to partner with a company that offers security training through simulated attacks. Ensure employees always remain vigilant, regardless of whether their vigilance is periodically evaluated with phishing simulations.
IT subject lines draw attention often from employees’ also. Something like “Information Security Policy Review Mandate.” This type of subject line can create a sense of urgency and legitimacy, prompting recipients to open the email and potentially fall for the scam.
Have you encountered any suspicious emails recently? What measures is your business taking to help protect against phishing attacks? How confident are you that your employees are trained to recognize a phishing email? These questions and more are what you should be considering daily to ensure it always remains top of mind. Partnering with a technology solution and managed service provider like 2W Tech can help ensure you and you employees remain vigilant and are best protected from cyberattacks. Give us a call today to learn more about some measures we can put in place and recommendations to protect against a phishing attack.
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