Have you ever wondered, "Why am I getting so many phishing emails?" If so, you're not alone. These messages – designed to trick recipients into giving away personal information or downloading malware – have been targeting users since the mid-1990s. Back then, hackers posing as AOL employees used email and instant messaging to hijack users’ accounts. Fast-forward to 2024, and phishing emails have become more damaging and prevalent.
At Jericho Security, our AI-powered cyber security training can help you address phishing problems within your organization. In this article, we’ll answer the question, "Why am I getting so many phishing emails?" and share insights on recognizing and responding to these threats.
Before determining why so many phishing emails are flooding your inbox, you’ll need to understand what they are and why they happen.
A phishing email is a fraudulent message designed to deceive recipients into giving away sensitive information such as passwords, credit card numbers, or other personal details.
The most common phishing emails include:
These emails often mimic the appearance and tone of communications from trusted entities like banks, social media platforms, or even colleagues. This is what makes phishing emails work – and why it’s critical to be able to identify them.
While both spam and phishing emails are unwanted, phishing emails are typically more dangerous.
Spam emails generally aim to advertise products or services, often via a scattergun approach. In contrast, phishing emails seek to steal private information and are usually tailored to look as if they are from legitimate sources. This difference makes them more deceptive and harmful.
If you’re wondering, "Why am I getting so many phishing emails?" The short answer is the sheer quantity of phishing emails being sent out!
According to research by StationX, cybercriminals send an estimated 3.4 billion phishing emails daily — over a trillion emails a year! Phishing emails are also responsible for a growing number of cyber attacks, from approximately 779,000 in 2019 to over 4,744,000 in 2022.
This increase can be attributed to the large number of people who worked from home during the pandemic and may have lacked easy access to regular cybersecurity training. Since many companies have transitioned to a hybrid or fully remote workforce, such training is critical to protecting company information and resources.
Phishing emails usually come from cybercriminals using advanced technologies and artificial intelligence to generate and send messages on a massive scale. These technologies allow scammers to create more believable (and effective) phishing campaigns. This article shares insights into these evolving threats and how phishing training can make a difference in your organization.
If you've noticed a sudden increase in spam or phishing emails, several reasons might be behind this uptick. Understanding these causes can help you better manage your email security and potentially reduce the influx.
One common reason for receiving more spam emails is that your personal information has been compromised in a data breach. When hackers access databases containing personal details, they often leak or sell this information on the dark web – this can include your email address. This exposure makes you a target for spam and phishing attempts.
Another possibility is that your email address has been added to a mailing list without your knowledge. This can happen when you sign up for a service or enter your email in a public forum, and it gets harvested by marketers or spammers. Once your address is on these lists, it's common to see an increase in unsolicited emails.
Engaging with a spam email, even just once (by clicking on a link, opening an attachment, or replying) can lead to more spam. Spammers often monitor responses to confirm active email accounts. Showing any activity can inadvertently signal to spammers that your account is active, inviting more unwanted emails.
Your increased spam could also stem from your personal data being sold to third parties. Many companies collect and sell customer information to advertisers or other businesses. This practice can circulate your email among various marketing companies, each of which may send you unwanted offers and promotions.
Lastly, if your email address is visible on your social media profiles, spammers can easily harvest it. Many automated tools scan social media sites for personal data, and a publicly visible email address is a prime target for this kind of extraction.
Unwanted emails clutter your inbox and pose security risks, especially when they involve phishing attempts. Here are some tips on mitigating these risks and reducing the number of spam emails you receive.
Being able to identify a phishing email is the first step in protecting yourself. Look for signs such as urgent language, misspellings, unfamiliar sender addresses, or requests for personal information, which are hallmarks of the most common phishing emails. However, advances in AI technology mean that phishing emails are becoming increasingly sophisticated, making them harder to identify. Jericho Security offers AI-powered security awareness training that helps you identify and react to these messages.
It’s vital not to engage with phishing emails in any way. Do not click on links, open attachments, or respond to requests from unknown or suspicious sources. Interacting with these emails confirms to the sender that your email address is active, which could lead to more frequent attacks. Even worse, interacting with these emails puts your personal information at risk.
Report a phishing or suspicious email to your IT department whenever you receive it. Most email services also provide an option to mark emails as phishing. Reporting these messages helps email providers improve their spam filters and prevents similar emails from reaching others.
Be cautious about where and how you share personal information online. Cybercriminals often gather data from publicly accessible social media profiles and websites. Keeping your details private can significantly reduce your risk of being targeted by phishing campaigns.
Strengthen your email security using robust passwords combined with two-factor authentication (2FA). This adds an additional layer of security, making it harder for attackers to gain unauthorized access to your accounts even if they manage to decipher your password.
Finally, consider using a third-party spam filter. These filters provide an extra level of scrutiny to incoming emails, blocking suspicious content before it reaches your inbox. Many of these filters use advanced algorithms to detect and filter out spam, and phishing attempts more effectively than standard email services might.
For information on how you can stop spam and phishing emails in their tracks, check out our blog on 10 phishing prevention tips and solutions.
Phishing emails aren’t going away any time soon, but you can take steps to reduce the number of unwanted emails and protect yourself from the dangers. Each step, from recognizing phishing emails to using advanced spam filters, plays a key role in fortifying your email security.
If you're looking to improve your team's ability to detect and manage phishing attempts, consider exploring Jericho Security's training solutions. We offer tailored AI-powered programs to help you build a stronger, more secure digital environment. To learn more about how Jericho Security can empower your team against cyber threats, contact us for a free trial today!