🔐 What Is Phishing? And Why Everyone Needs to Know About It

🔐 What Is Phishing? And Why Everyone Needs to Know About It

If you’ve ever received a suspicious email, strange text, or unexpected message from your bank—or even from a “friend”—you may have been the target of phishing.

🎣 Phishing is one of the most common and dangerous cyber threats today. It's when attackers impersonate trusted sources to trick you into sharing sensitive information like passwords, credit card numbers, or login details.

### 👇 Here’s how phishing usually works:

1. You get a message—It could be an email, text (SMS), or message on social media.

2. It looks legitimate—The sender might appear to be from your bank, your boss, or a popular service like Netflix or Microsoft.

3. It urges you to act quickly—“Your account is locked!” “Click here to verify your identity.” These messages often try to create panic.

4. It includes a link or attachment—Once clicked, it might: 

 - Take you to a fake login page (to steal your credentials

 - Install malware or ransomware

 - Trick you into confirming private info

### 🎯 Who's at risk?

Everyone. Phishing attacks don’t just target tech-savvy professionals. They’re designed to fool everyday people—students, parents, retirees, and employees alike. Small businesses are often prime targets too.

### 🛡️ How to protect yourself:

✅ Double-check sender emails (look for subtle misspellings)

✅ Hover over links before clicking—see where they really go 

✅ Be skeptical of urgent messages asking for personal info 

✅ Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) 

✅ Don’t open attachments from unknown sources 

✅ Report phishing attempts to your IT team or email provider

### 💡 Final Thought:

Phishing is no longer just an IT issue—it’s a people issue. A single click from an unsuspecting employee can compromise an entire organization.

Stay alert. Stay informed. And when in doubt—**don’t click**.

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