Not if you believe the latest headlines. According to an article in Wired magazine, it’s not just the Russians anymore who are trying to affect the upcoming U.S. elections. Apparently, the Iranians are now trying to get in on the action too.
According to Microsoft, “In an aggressive new email phishing push, the company says, Iranian hackers targeted a US presidential campaign. Microsoft wouldn’t say which candidate’s operations the Iranian assailants hit, but Reuters reported on Friday that the target was President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign, which is known to use Outlook as its email provider.”
It’s news that Outlook is one of the most target email platforms, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that anyone using it, including the President of the United States is a potential victim. Of course, when the President is the target, the stakes are higher.
How do you target the President? With a spear phishing attack on those close to him. The article went on to detail this. “The Iranian group’s tactics may not involve cutting-edge digital hacking tools, but tailored phishing attacks were, after all, how Russia got access to sensitive documents from both the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign in 2016. Charming Kitten is known for conducting careful research on its targets, crafting tailored phishing campaigns, and hoarding the login credentials it nabs in its attacks.”
From ransomware to data breaches to CEO fraud to an attack on the U.S. President, the start of all the mischief is the same: a phishing email. And the solution is also always the same: cloud-based email security services with real-time link click protection so that no matter how clever the phishing email, even if it gets someone to click on something they shouldn’t the attack will be thwarted.
Even if you’re not running for President of the United States, you should still protect yourself and your employees from targeted phishing attacks. You know they’re coming. You no longer have any excuses.
When you’re ready to take action, check out our Phishing Protection services. Protect all your employees from phishing attacks for just pennies a month per employee.