What is it?
Spear phishing involves highly targeted, personalised attacks aimed at key individuals, often executives or those with privileged access. Unlike broad phishing campaigns, spear phishing relies on detailed research, social media profiles, and corporate announcements to create convincing lures. This tailored approach significantly increases the chance that a victim will fall for the trick.
What could happen?
A single successful spear phishing attack can compromise critical accounts, enabling attackers to authorise fraudulent payments, gain access to sensitive data, or pivot deeper into the network. The results can be catastrophic: large financial losses, regulatory penalties, public embarrassment, and long-term reputational harm that undermines customer and investor confidence.
What to do about it?
Foundational: Provide training on recognising signs of highly personalised attacks and encourage staff to double-check unusual requests (e.g., by phone).
Outcome: Increases vigilance among employees, reducing the success rate of basic attempts.
Enhanced: Implement stronger email authentication controls (DMARC, DKIM) and enhanced filtering solutions to detect suspicious sender behaviour or forged domains.
Outcome: Automates the first line of defence, preventing many spear phishing emails from reaching inboxes.
Comprehensive: Conduct targeted awareness sessions for high-risk roles (C-suite, finance, HR), simulate spear phishing attacks, and track individual performance improvements.
Outcome: Reduces the likelihood that attackers can exploit high-value targets, strengthening overall corporate resilience.
