Phishing is a social engineering attack where someone tricks an employee into revealing credentials, clicking a malicious link, or transferring money by impersonating a trusted person or organization.
Why phishing is the #1 attack vector
Attacking a well-secured network directly is difficult and time-consuming. Getting an employee to hand over their password takes minutes. Phishing exploits human psychology instead of technical vulnerabilities, which is why it remains the most common entry point for small business breaches.
You do not need a technically sophisticated workforce to fall for a phishing attack. The emails have become extremely convincing. AI tools now allow attackers to write personalized, grammatically perfect phishing emails at scale. The obvious spelling errors that used to be a telltale sign are largely gone.
Common phishing types
Email phishing
Mass emails impersonating Microsoft, your bank, a delivery service, or a government agency. Designed to steal credentials or install malware.
Spear phishing
Targeted attacks that impersonate a known contact. "Your CEO" asks you to transfer funds or share a document. Much harder to spot.
Business email compromise (BEC)
An attacker gains access to a legitimate business email account and uses it to request wire transfers or redirect payroll deposits.
Smishing
The same attack delivered by SMS text message instead of email. Increasingly common as email filtering improves.
How to reduce your exposure
No technical control eliminates phishing entirely. The goal is layers: make it harder for the email to reach inboxes, and make the consequence of a click less catastrophic if one does get through.
EagleOnyx deploys email security, phishing simulations, and security awareness training for Central Florida businesses.
Included in the Shield and Command plans. Talk to Otto about what your current email security posture looks like.
See cybersecurity services