Phishing occurs when fraudulent emails (or text messages) containing links to dangerous websites are sent by attackers. The websites may include malware (such as ransomware), which can harm systems and companies. Alternatively, sensitive information (such as passwords) or money may be solicited from users.
Organisations of all sizes and types may be targeted by phishing emails. In a mass campaign (where emails are sent indiscriminately to millions of inboxes), you might be ensnared, or it could be the initial step in a targeted attack on your firm or an individual employee. In these tailored ads, information about your workers or firm is leveraged by the attacker to make their statements more convincing and believable. This is commonly known as spear phishing.
The mitigations detailed in this guideline are primarily concerned with reducing the effect of phishing attacks within your company, although implementing these actions will assist in safeguarding the entire UK. For example, setting up DMARC prevents phishers from spoofing your domain (making their emails appear to come from your organisation). There are various benefits to doing this:
Recipients are more likely to receive genuine emails from your firm in their inboxes rather than having them marked as spam.
From a reputation standpoint, no organisation wants its brand associated with scams or fraud.
The more organisations use DMARC, the tougher it is for phishers to succeed.