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Phishing Awareness

Published Date
Author Kristen Thiebaud

Stay Phish Aware : Don’t Take the Bait

Attackers continue to evolve their phishing tactics, but awareness gives us the advantage. Recognizing the signs, questioning the unexpected, and reporting suspicious activity can help us stay one step ahead.

So, how do we stay ahead ?

•    Take a Moment. Urgency is a common tactic. Take a moment before clicking, responding, or acting on an unexpected request.

•    Looking Beyond. A familiar name or a brand doesn’t always mean the message is legitimate.

•    Watch out for Trust-Building. Early conversations may seem harmless - but comes next could be the real attack: “forgotten” attachment, a link to view a document, or a high value transaction receipt – Stay alert

•    Expect new tactics. Phishing isn’t limited to email – Stay alert to texts, QR codes, calls, fake login pages, collaboration platforms, and more.

•    Suspicion? Report It. If something doesn’t look right, report it. A single report may seem small, but it could help protect entire Mouser.

Beyond Phishing : Different Tactics, Same Goal

Social engineering can take many forms, but the objective is often the same – to gain your trust and influence you into sharing information, providing access, or taking an action you normally wouldn’t.

Know how you may be targeted :

•    Phishing. Deceptive emails designed to influence you into clicking a link, visiting a fake website, sharing information, entering credentials or verification codes, authenticating a request, and more.

•    Smishing. Phishing through text messages, often disguised as urgent alerts, delivery notices, account warnings and more.

•    Vishing. Fraudulent phone calls where attackers impersonate a trusted person or organization to obtain information or influence your actions.

•    Quishing. Malicious QR codes designed to direct you to fake websites, login pages, or other harmful content.

•    Pretexting. Attackers create a believable story or relationship –often posing as a customer, vendor, colleague, or support team – to establish trust before making a request.

•    Whaling. Highly targeted phishing attacks aimed at executives or senior leaders, often using convincing business scenarios to obtain sensitive information, credentials, or financial access.

Your Credentials: More Than Just a Password

Protecting your account goes beyond having a strong password. Attackers may target your MFA prompts, verification codes, and login sessions to find a way into your account.

Protect every step of your sign-in :

•    Unexpected MFA Prompts.  Never approve a sign-in request you didn’t initiate. Repeated prompts could mean someone is trying to access your account.

•    Verification Codes.  A request for an MFA or verification code – even from someone claiming to be IT or support – is a red flag.

•    Account Activity. An unknown MFA prompt, successful password reset notification you didn’t initiate, could be an early warning for an attack – report it.

•    Credential Sharing. Never share your credentials with anyone.

•    Make It Hard to Guess. Choose passwords that aren’t based on information someone could easily know or discover about you.