Test Inspiration: In February 2022, ‘alias impersonation’ attacks surged, making up approximately 32.2% of all cyber incidents. These attacks heavily utilize social engineering, creating a sense of urgency in their targets. This urgency often drives individuals to take actions like clicking links, opening attachments, or hastily responding to messages.

Phishing Email Context: The phishing email presented to employees was crafted to appear as an official communication about a MacBook surplus give away. The email urged employees to check an attached spreadsheet for eligibility and follow a series of steps on the company intranet. The sense of urgency was heightened by mentioning a limited supply of MacBook Pros, pushing employees to act quickly.

Key Findings & Recommendations:

1. Attachment Caution: Always be wary of unexpected attachments, even if they appear to come from a trusted source. Malicious attachments are a common vector for malware.
2. Urgency Red Flags: Phishing emails often create a sense of urgency to prompt quick, less-thought-out actions. Always pause and verify before acting on such emails.
3. Verify Internal Communications: Before acting on emails related to company processes or benefits, verify with the respective department through a known contact method.
4. Check for Personalization: Genuine company communications will often be more personalized. Be cautious of generic greetings.
5. Macro Warning: Be cautious of documents that ask you to enable macros, as this is a common method used to execute malicious scripts.
6. Report Suspicious Emails: If an email seems off, report via Phish Alert Button immediately. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

Conclusion: The evolving nature of phishing attacks requires constant vigilance. By understanding the tactics used by cybercriminals and being cautious, especially when urgency is invoked, we can greatly diminish the risk of falling prey to such schemes.