Phishing is the kind of cyber threat that doesn’t discriminate. Be it a CEO or employee, a student or their university, phishing is known as an equal opportunity threat vector. People from all walks of life must realize how important it is to report phishing attempts.

Let’s look at some numbers first. These statistics tell us a story:

• It is estimated that a phishing or ransomware attempt can occur every 11 seconds.

• A quarter of emails reported by employees during Q1 2023 had malicious attachments intended for phishing out your credentials.

• Employees opened 28% of Business Email Compromise (BEC) messages, with a further 15% responding to those malicious emails.

Cybersecurity experts believe that prevention is the best policy. And to accomplish that, education is the answer.

Why report phishing attempts immediately?

There are plenty of good reasons why everyone needs to stay alert for phishing scams in a professional or personal setting.

Here are some of the reasons why phishing attacks need to be reported ASAP:

Conclusion

Phishing and its distant cousin spam are twin nuisances we can’t seem to wish away. They could be masquerading as a seemingly harmless link, email, or social media message. But with a few sensible tips, you can ensure that phishers do not get access to sensitive information. After all, being forewarned is forearmed.

Note: This blog is part of Pureversity's Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2023 coverage, aiming to empower you, your home, and your workplace with an improved cybersecurity posture.