Don’t Take the Bait – Recognize the Most Common Phishing Subjects

Phishers are not a very creative lot. They do not have to be. Malicious actors have been using the same phishing tactics because the same tactics are still successful, even after all these years. After analyzing 360,000 phishing emails over three months, cybersecurity firm Barracuda Networks identified the most common subject lines used in targeting businesses. These subjects highlight how cyber criminals continue to use social engineering to coerce us through a false sense of urgency and trust to succumb to their requests. According to Barracuda’s spear phishing report, over one-third of subject lines used in attacks is simply ‘Request.’ That is followed in popularity with subjects containing ‘Follow up’ or ‘Urgent/Important.’ To reduce the risk of employees falling for these and other common phishing emails, utilities are encouraged to keep users aware of the common trends through regular security awareness training. Read more at ZDNet