Reader Research

Phishing is the attempt to obtain personal, private, or commercial assets – usually information or funds – by impersonating a trustworthy source. Fraudsters commonly use email phishing scams to trick their prey, but messaging apps, social media, fake websites and phone calls can also be part of the picture.

Mass-mailing phishing attacks appear to be subsiding, but this shouldn’t lull business and IT managers into a false sense of security, as attackers are now focusing their efforts on spear-phishing campaigns. Using cleverly crafted messages and a range of exploits to bypass traditional email security measures, it’s estimated that perpetrators have already tricked unsuspecting businesses out of $5 billion.

This Temperature Check of 330 IT professionals reveals that attackers are regularly impersonating senior managers and targeting specific business departments. So, what’s to be done? Let’s start by sizing-up the problem and looking at how organisations are responding to this threat.