Cybersecurity and Preventing Whaling Attacks

London Business Hub is providing advice and information to help businesses and the self-employed work safely during COVID-19. This week, we provide advice and tips on preventing whaling attacks.

Whaling is a form of social engineering and attacks involve targeting high-profile and senior employees, such as board directors and chief executives. Attacks are designed to encourage a victim to perform an action, such as transferring funds to the attacker, clicking on links and downloading malware, or providing sensitive information.

The Police Digital Security Centre (PDSC) has published a guide with advice on how to spot whaling and prevent attacks. Prevention methods covered in the guide include:

• Carefully checking the sender’s email address.
• Do not respond to suspicious emails.
• Adding a filter system to block incoming phishing emails.
• Introducing anti-spoofing measures.

Browse our library of support for more tips and advice to help you work safely during COVID-19. We cover a range of topics to help you identify and prevent common online threats.