Phishing prevention tips: 8 ways MSPs and SMBs can prevent attacks
Phishing attacks have surged in recent years, driven by the growing volume of sensitive information stored online. It’s estimated that over three billion phishing emails are sent every day, making them a significant threat to small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) and their managed service providers (MSPs). Unfortunately, phishing often leads to business email compromise (BEC), which the FBI has said is companies' primary source of financial loss.
What’s more, the attacks are becoming more sophisticated by the day, targeting companies and individuals alike. Threat actors are now utilizing AI to automate the creation of convincing phishing emails.
SMBs and MSPs must practice proactive prevention to protect their financial assets, business operations, and sensitive data. In this blog, we’ll explore the most common types of phishing attacks, how to recognize phishing attempts, and how to counter them.
Ultimately, following the phishing prevention tips below will help your organization stay vigilant against these persistent threats.
What is phishing?
Have you ever received an email requesting sensitive information? Maybe it was a message about a delivered package asking you to provide your SSN before delivery. This is one of several examples of phishing attempts when an individual or entity tries to convince you to give out important information about yourself or your company.
Phishing generally begins with someone pretending to be a person or an organization you trust. Once they’ve established trust, they’ll attempt to get you to give out information or use a link/file to infect your devices with malware.
Early examples of phishing are the famed Nigerian scams of the early 2000s. Someone would contact you, acting like a friend or lover, to build a rapport.
Then, they’d attempt to obtain money or your bank account information. One of the most famous groups of Nigerian phishers was called the “Yahoo Boys,” after the 90s search engine.
Over time, phishing has grown more nuanced, convincing, and targeted. Instead of spending weeks building rapport, someone might send you an email posing as a company or person you already trust. The email might ask you to click on a link or reply with personal information.
Additionally, instead of exclusively targeting individuals, phishers are now more likely to target employees within companies to exploit vulnerabilities, search for sensitive information, or install ransomware.
Overall, phishing has become a multifaceted and complex cybersecurity threat, with increasingly severe consequences for impacted companies.
Common types of phishing attacks
Modern phishing attempts target companies, their customers, and the general population. Here’s a look at some of the most common types:
Impersonation
Impersonation occurs when someone acts like they’re part of your company using an email similar to an official one. For instance, if your company uses an email like Name@Company.com, a phisher might use one like Name@Company-support.com.
These attacks are difficult to spot because cybersecurity teams aren’t typically aware they’ve taken place unless they’re alerted, or a member of your team falls prey to the attack.
Spear phishing
Have you ever had a sales rep from a company include key details about you in their pitch? It’s an attempt to show they understand you and your needs.
Spear phishing functions in a similar manner, except the phisher is using a fake name and your real details to gain your confidence. They may get that information from social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. If your email has been previously hacked, that can also be a source of details.
Vishing (phone phishing)
This scam involves using voice-over-internet protocol (VoIP) to impersonate a company or business. The phisher might also use personal details about the person they’re targeting and a member of company leadership to try and convince the target to volunteer sensitive information.
VoIP makes it easier for attackers to disguise their phone numbers, making the call appear legitimate. Additionally, VoIP systems can be exploited to bypass traditional phone security measures, making businesses more vulnerable to these attacks.
Smishing (SMS phishing)
Smishing, or SMS phishing, is a cyberattack where attackers send fraudulent text messages to trick recipients into sharing sensitive information or clicking malicious links. These messages often appear to come from trusted sources, such as banks, delivery services, or familiar businesses, but they are actually from random numbers or fictitious SMS sources.
Smishing is dangerous because text messages seem more personal and urgent than emails, making people more likely to fall for the scam. With the growing use of mobile devices, smishing attacks are becoming increasingly prevalent, requiring businesses and individuals to remain vigilant and educate users on spotting and avoiding these threats.
Recognizing the signs of phishing attempts
Even though phishing attacks are becoming more sophisticated, you can still train your employees to spot certain telltale signs. Here are some things to look for when identifying phishing attacks:
Urgency and pressure tactics
Does the email you received make it sound like you need to act right away? That could be a red flag. Most businesses and government agencies don’t encourage you to act in a rush.
So, if the message gives you a short timeline to act or attempts to intimidate you, it might be a phishing attempt. The attacker is likely trying to make you panic so you impulsively give up the sensitive information they want.
Inconsistencies
Many phishing emails try to mimic the company or agency they are impersonating but don’t do it perfectly. Check to see if anything looks off or inconsistent with how a legitimate email from the company might look. Some common red flags include misspellings, poor grammar, and generic greetings like “Dear customer.”
Low-quality visuals
Do the images in the email you received look grainy and unprofessional? Some criminals will grab a logo from the site they are trying to mimic because they cannot access the official internal image files.
As a result, the image quality is generally lower than that of an official email, and the message might also be poorly formatted.
General red flags
What other kinds of emails should raise suspicion? Messages that:
- Come when team members are out of the office
- Request you to make financial decisions or changes
- Ask you to do something unusual or outside normal operating procedures
- Requires you to click a link to gather more information
Always exercise caution with emails like these, as there’s a good chance they are phishing attempts or related to other malicious activities.
Seek direct confirmation
Whether it’s the email itself or the message it contains, if anything seems off to you, don’t ignore your gut. Instead, reach out to the company or individual directly by other means (phone, a valid email address you know and trust their website) so you don’t accidentally click on a malicious link or respond to a bad actor.
Taking these extra precautions can help protect your company and its sensitive data. Always prioritize security and verify any unknowns before taking action.
Use email filters
Some email programs or websites have the technology to filter potential spam and phishing emails into a separate folder. Sometimes, these programs will outright tell you to avoid a given message so you can easily delete it and move on with your day.
Once you’ve found a phishing attempt, the most important thing to do is delete the email. Don’t reply, don’t click on any links, don’t forward it, and report it. If you accidentally gave out any passwords, don’t panic. Just reset them ASAP.
Phishing prevention tips for MSPs and SMBs
As an MSP, preventing phishing attempts for your partners goes far beyond simply monitoring emails. It requires a comprehensive, multi-faceted strategy that addresses various aspects of cybersecurity.
Like other cyberthreats, phishing attacks use methods that are constantly changing and becoming more sophisticated. So, your team must stay alert and adaptable at all times while simultaneously developing mitigation plans and carrying them out if a phishing incident occurs.
To that end, here are eight cybersecurity tips for MSPs to help you prevent phishing:
1. Implement comprehensive email security solutions
One effective way to block phishing emails is to implement comprehensive email security services. Advanced email filters, spam protection tools, and ConnectWise security management solutions can identify and manage malicious content.
Link sanitization, sandboxing, and real-time threat intelligence will continuously scan links to verify they haven’t been changed and check them anytime they’re executed. Altogether, these phishing detection methods and prevention tools will provide you with a robust defense against phishing attacks so you can safeguard sensitive data and avoid costly breaches.
2. Regular employee training and simulated phishing exercises
It’s also important to educate both employees and clients on what the most current phishing attacks look like and how to handle it if they’re targeted. One way you can do this is to send out fake phishing emails to team members and see which ones they fall for or don’t.
If anyone takes the bait, let them know and retrain them on your security policies and what to do should they get another phishing email. Simulated phishing tests will help keep your team vigilant and prepared to ward off any attacks.
Also, note that MSPs can potentially increase revenue and the value of their services by offering these training services to clients as part of a comprehensive cybersecurity package.
3. Use multi-factor authentication (MFA)
In today's cybersecurity world, MFA requires proper protection to enhance security and prevent unauthorized access. MFA adds an extra layer of protection—even when login credentials have been compromised—by requiring users to verify their identity through multiple methods, such as a text message or authentication app.
This is particularly important for protecting professional email accounts, common targets for phishing attacks. MSPs should implement MFA across all client systems to bolster their defense against potential breaches.
4. Keep software and systems updated
This is a simple yet essential step in preventing the impact of phishing emails. Companies often release updates that include bug fixes and patches for security problems.
However, your clients may not perform updates right away, so it’s important for MSPs to step in and ensure this happens on time. Regularly updating software helps prevent vulnerabilities that phishers can exploit.
Proper patch management is also important if clients use an app-based email since those updates might provide better phishing prevention filters and security features.
Set up automatic updates to streamline the process and ensure your customers’ systems remain secure without requiring manual intervention.
5. Set up network monitoring and incident response protocols
As an MSP, it’s incredibly important to have network monitoring and incident response protocols in place. Around-the-clock network monitoring detects suspicious activity in real-time, allowing for swift interventions.
Meanwhile, developing an incident response plan can help minimize damage in the event of a phishing attack by outlining clear steps to contain and remediate threats.
In addition, advanced monitoring tools will alert you to any unusual behavior so you can rest assured that all potential issues are addressed quickly.
6. Limit access to sensitive information
“Loose lips sink ships” is a World War II-era slogan designed to stop the spread of sensitive information, which still applies today. As client teams expand, there’s a temptation to grant them access to higher tiers and more sensitive knowledge.
However, the more information they have, the greater the risk of accidental disclosure. In fact, IBM reported that 95% of cyberattacks were caused by human error.
To mitigate this risk, embracing the concept of least-privilege access is essential. This approach only provides access to sensitive information on a need-to-know basis. Restricting access minimizes the risk of internal phishing attacks, as fewer individuals are privy to sensitive information.
Implementing role-based access controls (RBAC) can also help ensure that employees and clients only access information relevant to their job functions. If the information is not part of their job function, they don’t need access.
7. Secure client communication channels
Another way to protect sensitive data from bad actors attempting to intercept conversations is to secure your client communication channels. Encrypted communication helps guarantee that data remains safe during transmission, reducing the risk of exposure.
To further strengthen security, consider adopting secure file-sharing and communication platforms that provide end-to-end encryption. Then, you can rest easy knowing that only authorized parties can access your information.
By taking concrete steps to safeguard client interactions, you’ll help decrease the potential of data breaches, build customer trust, and further protect your clients.
8. Encourage clients to enable email authentication protocols
As we review phishing protection best practices, we can’t overlook the following: Encourage your customers to turn on email authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to help verify email senders and prevent spoofing. These protocols authenticate email sources to confirm messages are coming from legitimate senders, significantly lowering the risk of phishing attacks.
It’s recommended that MSPs configure these protocols for clients to ensure email servers are set up properly to support authentication.
Stay vigilant and use the right tools
Don’t get caught off-guard. Follow the phishing prevention tips outlined above and established industry best practices, including deploying comprehensive email security services, educating clients about phishing risks, and actively monitoring for threats.
Your best defense as an MSP is to implement a multi-layered approach that combines advanced technology, employee training, and regular monitoring. Leveraging ConnectWise Cybersecurity and Data Protection will bolster your efforts. These solutions offer real-time protection to stop attacks before they cause harm.
If you’re looking for cybersecurity management software, contact us today to see how ConnectWise can keep your company safe and secure.
