Technology was responsible for a great transformation in the lives of all companies, reflecting in several sectors, especially in banking institutions, after all, no one has time to deal with bureaucracy and queues at branches anymore.
Thus, in order to compete in a screen-based world and build long-lasting relationships with customers, the financial industry, banking institutions need to keep up with expectations.
And deliver people speed, convenience, quality of service and interactivity. This digitalization of processes has meant that customers and employees have had to adapt to new forms of management, work and procedures.
But all this change has exposed these institutions related to data security and compliance.
How can banks protect themselves from these attacks in today's digital landscape? In this blog post, we discuss the main risks and how to protect yourself.
What are phishing attacks like in banking institutions?
Phishing attacks are old acquaintances and affect institutions of various factors around the world, they are attacks where criminals try to obtain confidential information such as:
· Passwords;
· Credit card numbers;
· Bank information;
· Personal data;
· Credentials.
Impersonating trusted institutions to deceive their victims, using psychological tactics such as urgency, fear, or reward.
It is important to note that there are several ways to commit these crimes, such as scams, which are more common and generalized attacks where criminals send mass emails hoping that someone will fall for this scam.
However, they are not the only ones, criminals are increasingly sophisticated in their crimes, as is the case with whaling, a type of phishing aimed at high-profile people and organizations.
The primary victims of these attacks are CEOs, high-ranking executives, or key employees of companies.
Scammers pose as trusted people, such as lawyers or even vendors, the main goal is to gain confidential information or access to internal systems.
Another modality of these attacks is spear phishing, in which case criminals search for specific information about their victims, such as:
· Name;
· Position;
· Professional connections;
· Personal interests.
With this information in hand, they personalize the emails so that they look as real as possible and manage to deceive their victims.
Why invest in anti-phishing actions?
Banking institutions are often a very recurring target among criminals, after all, they deal directly with large amounts of money, personal and confidential data, which become high-value targets.
According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), financial organizations have suffered more than 20,000 cyberattacks in recent decades, these actions have generated losses of $12 billion to the global financial sector.
Therefore, investing in actions to combat phishing is essential for these companies and helps protect customers, the institution itself, and the integrity of the financial system.
This is because customers entrust their data and information to banks, if there is any invasion of institutions, this trust will be lost, in addition to leaving a negative perception of the brand.
Another important point, banks are subject to strict security and data protection regulations. When these institutions invest in anti-phishing measures, they ensure compliance and avoid fines, sanctions, and legal action.
Not to mention that phishing attacks are very harmful to banking operations, being responsible for disruptions in operations. These stoppages can harm customers, investors and lead to a series of losses for the industry.
Investing in anti-phishing actions is key to protecting customers, preserving the institution's reputation, ensuring regulatory compliance, and reducing financial risks.
Cybersecurity is responsible for protecting data integrity, preventing operational disruptions, mitigating incident response costs, educating employees, and complying with corporate social responsibility.
How to Strengthen Your Phishing Security?
As we have seen, banking institutions are constantly under threat from phishing attacks. To protect your assets and ensure information security, you need to implement several strategies. Here's what they are.
Cybersecurity education
Phishing attacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated, especially for high-value organizations such as banking institutions. That is why it is essential that all people know how to defend themselves from these actions.
After all, cybercriminals don't just send scam attacks, whaling and spear phishing are becoming more and more common.
Therefore, it is necessary that all people who work in the company, from agency employees to leaders, know how to recognize a phishing attack and, more importantly, how to act in these situations.
In this way, educating and raising awareness is one of the most effective strategies to combat phishing.
For this to happen, it's important for organizations to offer ongoing training programs on phishing techniques, how to recognize suspicious emails, and what processes should be followed to report potential attacks.
In addition, periodic simulations of phishing attacks help test and improve people's ability to identify and respond to these threats.
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
The theft of credentials to gain access to systems and accounts is very common in banking institutions. In this way, multifactor authentication (MFA) provides an extra layer of security that helps protect accounts.
By requiring multiple forms of identity verification, banking institutions make it significantly more difficult for cybercriminals to gain access to accounts. As a result, even if they manage to obtain passwords, they will not have the necessary access to hack into the systems.
For this to happen, you need to institute MFA as a mandatory requirement for all accounts. You need to use a combination of password, security token, and biometrics to ensure a high level of security.
Advanced Security Technologies
The technologies help prevent, detect, and respond to attempts to intrude and compromise data.
Such as email filters, which use Artificial Intelligence algorithms to analyze incoming messages, identifying typical phishing patterns and signs, checking for specific elements that detect possible threats.
Additionally, these organizations can invest in anti-spam solutions that filter out unwanted messages, preventing spans from reaching people's inboxes.
The adoption of advanced security technologies, such as email filters and anti-spam, along with data encryption, is critical to strengthening the defense of banking institutions against phishing.
Security Incident Management
Having an effective management of security incidents is very important to mitigate the impacts of cyberattacks, such as phishing attempts, on banking institutions.
For good incident management, organizations need to carry out risk assessment to identify possible threats and vulnerabilities. This helps you determine the types of incidents that may occur and plan specific responses for each scenario.
You also need to develop clear and detailed procedures for responding to different types of incidents, including phishing. For this to occur, it is important to implement clear communication.
With notification during and after an incident, clearly defining the roles and responsibilities of all team members.
Security incident management is essential in the cybersecurity strategy of banking institutions. Developing and maintaining detailed plans allows for a quick and effective response to phishing attempts and other cyber threats.
Strengthen Phishing Security with PhishX
With phishing threats on the rise, banking institutions need to be prepared to protect their systems and their customers' sensitive data.
PhishX is a SaaS ecosystem that provides people with security, privacy, and compliance expertise, helping banks empower their teams and strengthen their security against phishing attacks.
We offer ongoing training programs tailored to your organization, so you can educate people about the most common cyber threats, such as phishing, malware, and ransomware.
This way, you ensure that everyone receives relevant and actionable information, increasing your threat response capabilities.
In addition, our platform triggers simulations of phishing attacks putting people in real-world scenarios, aiding in the training process to identify threats.
Through awareness and training campaigns, it is possible to educate people on various topics related to cybersecurity, such as the importance of using MFA to protect accounts from unauthorized access.
The platform also offers in-depth analytics and reporting on phishing attempts, allowing banking institutions to stay informed about the latest threats and adjust their security strategies as needed.
With these strategies, PhishX helps banking institutions transform their teams into the strongest link, ensuring data protection and customer trust.
Get in touch with our sales team, strengthen your security against phishing attacks with our solution.
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