How to prevent phishing attacks

Phishing is a type of scam in which the scammer tries to trick you into clicking a malicious link or giving away confidential information. They usually pretend to be a trusted source. It’s one of the main cybersecurity threats, and just about every organization and individual will have been targeted at one time or another.

Despite how simple it is in concept, phishing remains a highly successful tactic used by many different types of attackers. This guide will explain what phishing is, the types of scams that use phishing, and how you can protect yourself against it.

Types of phishing attacks you should know about

All phishing scams follow a similar pattern—but they come in many forms. Here are a few of the most common phishing scams.

Email phishing

Email phishing scams are one of the most common forms of cyberattacks. Scammers will create malicious emails to steal your personal information or convince you to click on a link to a fraudulent website. Sometimes, the scammer also tries to trick you into downloading a malware-ridden attachment or file.

Email phishing uses social engineering techniques, such as urgent-sounding language, threats, or promises of an unrealistic reward. Email phishing scams are typically the first step in a larger scheme. Once a scammer gets your personal information or moves you onto a fraudulent website, they can conduct further attacks against you, including identity theft.

Spear phishing and whaling

Spear phishing manipulates an individual or organization by using highly personalized information to build trust. Scammers spend time collecting information about a subject, including their job, coworkers, interests, friends, and more, to create unique and convincing personalized emails that can often bypass traditional detection methods. Spear phishing emails often contain ransomware.

Whaling uses similar tactics, but the scammer specifically targets high-level executives with impersonated legal documents or fake invoices. Typically, the scammer will pose as a CEO or CFO to trick victims into believing they have authority. This might involve a fake email from a ‘CEO’ requesting an urgent bank transfer.

Smishing and vishing

Smishing uses SMS (text messages) instead of email to trick users into clicking malicious links or revealing sensitive information—often by impersonating banks, delivery services, or government agencies you’re expecting to hear from.

Vishing is similar, but it relies on phone calls or VoIP programs. Recently, vishing scammers have started incorporating AI, since AI tools can help them impersonate specific individuals’ voices.

How to recognize phishing attempts

Phishing relies on impersonation, manipulation, and a sense of urgency to trick victims. Simply being aware of these tactics is one of the most effective ways to avoid falling for a scheme.

Here are the red flags to watch for.

• Look for generic greetings: Phishing scammers often use generic greetings like “Dear user” or “Dear valued customer” in scam emails that they send en masse.
• Avoid clicking strange links or attachments: Be suspicious of unexpected attachments or links—they can harbor malware, collect your personal information, or be used to redirect you to fraudulent sites. Always hover over links before clicking to verify that the URL belongs to a legitimate domain. Attachments that prompt you to enable macros or run scripts should also be treated as red flags.
• Scan for signs of AI: AI tools allow phishing scammers to easily create professional-looking emails. Pay close attention to the language—phrases or formatting that resemble AI prompts or ChatGPT commands indicate AI use.
• Ignore data requests: Ignore requests for sensitive information such as passwords, SSNs, or company files. If the request is coming from a coworker or a higher-up in your company, verify that the request is real before responding.
• Look for urgent language and too-good-to-be-true offers: Pay attention to language conveying a sense of urgency, especially if paired with a threat such as termination or account closure. For example, you might receive a sudden email from your CEO threatening your job unless you send them a specific file. The same goes for time-limited offers that seem too good to be true. If they seem that way, they most likely are.
• Check for spoofed emails: If you’re suspicious of an email address, compare it to the official email listed on an organization’s website to see if it matches the organization’s domain.

8 actionable tips to prevent phishing attacks

Here are eight simple steps you can take to stay safe from phishing attacks.

Exercise caution and think before you click

Phishing messages are designed to provoke panic or urgency, but don’t let them. Hover over URLs to preview them. Look for inconsistencies in email addresses, language, or branding.

Be cautious about shortened links as well—many social media apps let you shorten a link for convenience, but this makes it harder to determine if you’re being taken to a real or fraudulent website.

If you can’t tell if a message is real or a scam, reach out to the supposed sender using another platform. For example, if a company sent you a message, reach out to their official customer support.

Use multi-factor authentication (MFA) and strong passwords

Accounts with multi-factor authentication (MFA) require a second form of verification—like a code from your phone—in addition to your password. Even if a hacker obtains your login credentials, they can’t access your account without the second verification method.

Additionally, always use strong and unique passwords. A hacker can easily hijack multiple accounts if you rely on the same password. To help generate unique passwords for your accounts and store them safely, use a password manager like ExpressVPN Keys.

Keep software updated and secure

Security updates work to patch critical vulnerabilities within apps and devices. Failing to update your software can leave you exposed to phishing attempts that exploit known vulnerabilities

Verify SSL certificates on websites

Before entering sensitive information, check that the website uses HTTPS with a valid SSL/TLS certificate. A padlock icon in the browser bar indicates that encryption is used to protect data in transit.

However, this doesn’t automatically mean a site is safe—phishing websites can obtain SSL certificates, too. It can help you spot clearly unsafe sites, but it’s not foolproof and should be combined with other precautions.

Avoid using public Wi-Fi for sensitive transactions

Public Wi-Fi networks aren’t inherently dangerous, but hackers can more easily collect data and spy on users over public Wi-Fi than on a private network—especially if the network isn’t password-protected.

Any data intercepted can then be used to construct personalized phishing scams. Avoid logging into sensitive accounts, accessing work email, or entering payment details when connected to public Wi-Fi and always use a quality VPN to encrypt your data and hide your IP.

Use anti-phishing toolbars and email filters

Most browsers and email services use anti-phishing technology by default. Check your email settings and ensure that your spam filter is enabled. Also, keep your email client updated to ensure its spam filter works effectively. For added security, you can use anti-phishing tools like ExpressVPN Advanced Protection, which alerts you to fraudulent sites.

Regularly monitor accounts for unusual activity

Routinely review your email login activity, social media accounts, and financial information for suspicious logins or activity you don’t recognize. If you detect any, act immediately.

Most services allow you to enable automatic activity alerts that inform you of any new login attempts. Just be cautious, as scammers will sometimes send fake activity alerts to trick victims into sharing their credentials.

Educate yourself and others about phishing threats

Stay informed—and help others stay informed—about the latest phishing trends and safety tips. Raising awareness is one of the most effective ways to prevent these attacks from succeeding

What to do if you suspect a phishing attack

First, stay calm. If you’ve only responded via email, cease all communications with the scammer. If you’ve entered any confidential information or login credentials into a phishing website, stop any further activity right away.

Immediate steps to take if you fall victim to a phishing attack

If you’ve clicked on a phishing link or provided a scammer with your personal information, follow these steps before the situation escalates.

1. Disconnect from the internet immediately: This prevents further data from being exfiltrated from your device.
2. Change your passwords: Immediately change all of your passwords, starting with the account that was phished. Use a reliable password manager like ExpressVPN Keys to make this process safer and easier.
3. Enable MFA: Once you’ve changed your passwords, enable MFA for every website or application where it’s available.
4. Run a full antivirus scan: Use a reputable antivirus to search for any malware that may have infected your computer.
5. Contact your financial institution: Tell your bank or credit card provider what happened so they can watch for suspicious activity and help protect your account.
6. Monitor your accounts: Keep a close eye on your accounts for any signs of suspicious activity. If you shared personal information, it’s a good idea to contact one of the three major credit bureaus and freeze your credit to prevent identity theft.
7. Report the scam to your email provider: They can investigate the incident and may deactivate the scammer’s account to prevent further abuse.
8. Report the scam to the authorities: For example, in the U.S., you can report scams to IC3.gov and the FTC. If the scammer impersonates a government agency, you should also notify CISA or your local FBI field office.

Additionally, for businesses:

9. Notify your IT department or cybersecurity experts: All employees—regardless of role—should report phishing attempts to IT or cybersecurity teams so they can respond quickly.
10. Initiate an incident response plan: Your company should have an incident response plan in place to follow during cyber incidents.

Organizational strategies for phishing prevention

Organizations can strengthen phishing prevention with a multi-layered strategy that combines proper training, cybersecurity tools, and user awareness.

Employee education and regular training

Educating employees and raising awareness are the most important parts of protecting your company. Most phishing attacks are successful due to user error—for example, when an employee mistakenly grants unauthorized access to a scammer impersonating a senior executive.

Offer regular training sessions to help employees recognize phishing scams, stay updated on trends, and understand how to avoid common traps. Make sure reporting scams is easy and that no one feels embarrassed for doing so.

Implement strong security policies

By following strong security policies and using the right software, you can block most phishing scams before they ever reach your team.

• Implement multi-factor authentication: Set up MFA on every service, email client, and application that your company uses. Use single-sign-on options (SSO) where possible—it reduces the risk of users exposing sensitive login credentials and makes it easier to conduct an audit after a suspected breach.
• Use a strong firewall: Use a strong network firewall with proper endpoint security. Configure blocklists and denylists to stop malicious senders, websites, and services from being accessed on your network.
• Reject emails that fail DMARC checks: DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) helps verify that an email wasn’t spoofed. While most email services perform DMARC checks, your business should configure its systems to automatically reject emails that fail verification.
• Use the right cybersecurity tools: DNS filtering tools can block access to malicious or spoofed websites, while network monitoring tools help detect suspicious activity in both incoming and outgoing traffic.
• Use a business-grade VPN: A business-grade VPN encrypts data in transit and allows secure remote access to internal resources. It also offers centralized tools to help monitor and manage your network more effectively.
• Create an incident response plan: Have a formal incident response plan in place to guide your team during a phishing attack or other cyber incident. It should include steps to identify, contain, and remove the threat, along with guidance for recovery. Without a plan, your response may be delayed or error-prone.

Regular security audits and simulations

Performing regular security audits helps you stay informed about your organization’s vulnerabilities and areas that need improvement. Audits can also reveal unauthorized access attempts and uncover data breaches that may have slipped past your defenses.

Simulations are a valuable way to stress-test your defenses and identify weak points. IT teams often run controlled phishing campaigns to evaluate how employees respond to threats. Frequent simulations also highlight who may need additional phishing awareness training.