Phishing attacks are getting harder to spot. Cybercriminals no longer send obvious scam emails full of typos. Instead, they craft convincing messages that mimic your vendors, colleagues, and even your CEO.
Most businesses don't realize they're vulnerable until an attack succeeds. A single employee clicking the wrong link can expose customer data, financial accounts, and proprietary information.
This guide covers 10 warning signs that your business may be an easy target for phishing and spear phishing attacks. You'll also learn how tools like LastPass can help protect your team's credentials from being stolen.
- Phishing attacks rely on human error, which is why ongoing employee training is your first line of defense.
- Multi-factor authentication adds a critical security layer that stops attackers even when passwords are compromised.
- Password reuse across work and personal accounts creates a domino effect when one account is breached.
- Clear reporting processes help your team flag suspicious emails before anyone clicks a malicious link.
- A password manager like LastPass prevents credential theft by refusing to autofill on fraudulent websites.
Warning signs your company may be a phishing target
1. Employees haven't had phishing awareness training recently
Phishing tactics evolve constantly. The email scams your team learned about two years ago look nothing like today's attacks. Modern phishing emails use personalized details scraped from LinkedIn, company websites, and social media to appear legitimate.
Regular training keeps these threats top of mind. When employees know what to look for, they're far more likely to pause before clicking. Aim for quarterly refreshers rather than annual sessions.
Training should include real examples of phishing emails and hands-on practice identifying red flags like mismatched URLs and urgent language.
2. Your team still clicks links in emails without verifying the sender
Email phishing works because attackers make their messages look like they're coming from people you know. They spoof familiar names and domains to slip past your guard.
Before clicking any link, employees should hover over it to preview the actual URL. A message from "IT Support" that links to "secure-login-company.sketchy-domain.com" is a clear warning sign.
Encourage your team to verify unexpected requests through a separate channel. If someone emails asking for a password reset or wire transfer, confirm directly with that person through Slack, Teams, or another trusted method.
3. You don't have multi-factor authentication enabled
Multi-factor authentication adds a critical layer of protection to your accounts. If an attacker steals login credentials through a phishing page, MFA stops them from getting in.
Multi-factor authentication requires a second verification step, like a code from an authenticator app or a biometric scan. Even if someone enters the correct password, they can't get in without that second factor.
Enable MFA on all business-critical systems, especially email, financial software, and administrative tools. Authenticator apps or hardware keys are more secure than SMS codes.
4. Employees reuse passwords across work and personal accounts
Phishing attacks become far more damaging when employees reuse passwords. If someone enters their credentials on a fake login page, attackers don't just get access to one account. They try that same email and password combination everywhere.
A single successful phishing email can unlock your employee's work email, cloud storage, financial tools, and any other platform where they've used the same password.
Each account needs a unique, complex password. A password manager makes this easy by generating and storing strong passwords so no one has to remember them.
5. Your company lacks a clear process for reporting suspicious emails
When employees spot something suspicious, they need to know exactly what to do. If reporting feels unclear or cumbersome, it's easy to just delete the email and move on, which means your security team never learns about the threat.
Create a simple reporting system. This could be a dedicated email address, a button in your email client, or a Slack channel monitored by IT. The easier you make it, the more reports you'll receive.
Fast reporting helps your security team identify attack patterns and warn others before they fall victim.
6. You don't use email filtering or anti-phishing tools
Relying on employees to catch every phishing email is unrealistic. Even well-trained teams make mistakes, especially when they're busy or distracted.
Email filtering tools automatically scan incoming messages for known phishing indicators. They can block suspicious attachments, flag links to malicious domains, and quarantine messages from spoofed senders.
These tools aren't perfect, but they catch a significant percentage of attacks before anyone sees them. Think of them as your first line of defense.
7. Executives and finance teams aren't trained on targeted attacks
Spear phishing targets specific individuals, often those with access to money or sensitive data. Executives, finance managers, and HR personnel are prime targets.
These attacks are highly personalized. An attacker might reference a recent company announcement or mimic a board member's writing style. Generic phishing training doesn't prepare employees for this level of sophistication.
People in high-risk roles need specialized training on business email compromise, wire fraud attempts, and impersonation tactics.
8. Employees access company accounts on public Wi-Fi
Public Wi-Fi networks are a prime setup for phishing attacks. Attackers can create fake hotspots with names like "Conference_Guest_WiFi" that redirect users to phishing pages when they try to browse. They can also intercept traffic on legitimate networks and inject fake login prompts.
An employee at a trade show or client site might see a login page that looks exactly like your company's SSO portal, but it's actually capturing their credentials.
Require VPN use for any remote work. A VPN encrypts internet traffic, which makes it harder for attackers to intercept data on unsecured networks. Pair this with employee training on verifying login pages before entering credentials.
9. Your business has no password manager in place
Without a password manager, employees are left to manage credentials on their own. That often means reusing passwords, which can turn a single successful phishing attack into access to multiple accounts.
A password manager generates unique, complex passwords for every account and stores them securely. Even better, it refuses to autofill credentials on fake websites. If an employee clicks a phishing link that leads to a spoofed login page, the password manager won't recognize the fraudulent domain.
This automatic URL matching is one of the most effective defenses against credential theft through phishing.
10. You've never tested your team with a simulated phishing attack
You can't know how your employees will respond to phishing until you test them. Simulated phishing campaigns send fake but realistic emails to see who clicks and who reports.
The goal isn't to punish anyone. It's to identify knowledge gaps and target additional training where it's needed. Many organizations find that specific departments or roles are more susceptible than others.
Run simulations regularly and vary the tactics. Test different types of attacks, including spear phishing attempts targeting executives.
How LastPass helps you protect your business from phishing
LastPass makes it significantly harder for phishing attacks to pay off, even when someone clicks a malicious link.
The autofill feature only works on legitimate websites. If a phishing email directs someone to a fake login page, LastPass won't recognize the domain and won't fill in credentials. This gives employees a clear warning that something is wrong.
LastPass also generates unique, complex passwords for each account, so if one set of credentials is compromised, attackers can't use them anywhere else.
For administrators, LastPass makes it easy to enforce MFA across your organization. You can require employees to verify their identity with the LastPass Authenticator app, hardware security keys like YubiKey, or FIDO2 biometrics. This means that even if a phishing attack captures someone's password, attackers still can't get into their vault without that second factor.
Try LastPass for your business and give your team the tools to stop phishing attacks before credentials are compromised.
