Many cybercriminals used to take a wide-net approach to phishing, but not anymore. 

Phishing has evolved into a targeted, sophisticated, and terrifyingly convincing method of attack. In fact, in 2024, nearly half of all malware incidents were initiated by phishing—incidents that often result in ransomware infections, data theft, and financial fraud. 

Phishing can’t be ignored—it’s a big-time threat that warrants serious attention and aggressive action.

Phishing prevention best practices involve a combination of education, top-notch tech, and good old-fashioned skepticism (which can only be achieved through cybersecurity awareness). 

If you’re unsure of where to start when it comes to the implementation of a phishing prevention strategy, start with these questions: 

Do employees go through regular cybersecurity awareness training? 

In the realm of cybersecurity, ignorance is a cybercriminal’s bliss. They love to prey on the uninformed. Your first line of defense against phishing attacks is your employees, who just so happen to be your biggest risk as well. Without proper phishing awareness training, employees are one wrong click away from inducing total chaos. 

Regular cybersecurity awareness training equips employees with the keen eyes they need to spot phishing emails, recognize social engineering tricks, and avoid clicking suspicious links or attachments. 

Training will cover topics like common phishing tactics, the dangers of opening unknown attachments, spotting fake login pages and fraudulent URLs, and verifying requests for sensitive information.

Do we have email security on lockdown? 

The vast majority of phishing attacks are deployed via email, making email security best practices a must. A few ways to prevent phishing attempts include: 

• Multi-factor authentication (MFA): It’s not all that challenging for threat actors to get login credentials—MFA provides a key extra layer of security that can totally stop unauthorized access attempts. 

• Email filtering and anti-phishing tools: Comprehensive email security solutions can automatically detect and block phishing attempts before they reach employees’ inboxes. 

Going back to awareness, teaching employees to always “hover before clicking” is an easy way to reveal the sketchy URLs lurking behind harmless-looking text. 

What specific policies do we have to protect against phishing? 

Like every approach to cybersecurity, multiple layers are always best. A well-trained workforce is a good start, but what about specific policies to protect against phishing? Sometimes, a little more red tape is a good thing when it comes to: 

• Financial transitions: No employee should be able to approve payments based on email alone—financial transactions must require verification. 

• Reporting processes: There should be no ambiguity when it comes to reporting incidents—if an employee catches a phishing attempt, there should be clear guidelines for how to report it. 

• Simulated tests: If you’re curious if that cybersecurity awareness training is clicking with employees, deploy a fake phishing email test—if they fall for it, they might need more training.

Are our systems and software updated regularly? 

If threat actors see uninformed employees as sheep ripe for the taking, then outdated systems and software are the open gates that invite the wolves right in. Regular updates and patches close security vulnerabilities that attackers love to exploit. Close these gaps by setting automatic updates for: 

• Email security solutions

• Antivirus and anti-malware software

• Web browsers and operating systems

• Any third-party software your business relies on

While answering and addressing all the questions is a good start, phishing attacks can still slip through the cracks. Another important aspect of your strategy is how to mitigate phishing attacks when prevention fails, whether it’s human error or a bad software update. 

If it happens, acting swiftly and effectively is the name of the game: 

• Isolate the infected device by disconnecting it from the network. 

• Change the compromised credentials and reset all passwords. 

• Investigate the breach, identify how it happened, and take steps to prevent a repeat incident. 

• Alert employees—if one person can fall for a phishing scam, others might, too.

Phishing isn’t going away, and attackers are only getting sneakier. But your business can stay ahead of the game with the right training and tools. That’s where Huntress Managed Security Awareness Training comes in. We don’t do boring, check-the-box training—we give your team the skills to recognize and shut down phishing threats before they cause damage.

Want to see how we help businesses turn employees into cybersecurity assets instead of liabilities? Check out our Security Awareness Training and start fighting back against phishing today.