Are You Purchasing the Right Anti-Phishing Solution For Your Business?

The former executive chairman and CEO of Cisco, John Chambers, once said, “There are two types of companies: those that have been hacked, and those who don't know they have been hacked.” This very true statement has a couple of practical meanings for any company. First, never assume you’re safe. Second, choose an anti-phishing solution that protects you from those threats that are hard to detect, which you are probably unaware of. 

The constant, alarming rise in phishing attacks has led to innovations and tools that aim to help companies battle this threat. While this is a positive development, it also creates a challenge. Companies find themselves surrounded by dozens of anti-phishing solutions, each one offering a different approach with certain advantages. So how can an organization know they’re making the right choice? 

Instead of allowing cyber risk to manage you, take control and choose solutions that focus on threat hunting, rather than simply threat intelligence, two different approaches we’ll now discuss. 

2021’s Threat Landscape Requires an Intelligent Approach to Online Threats

Threat hunting, which plays an essential role in detecting and blocking phishing attacks, relies on real-time data to stop cybercriminals in their tracks before any damage is done. 

The idea is to discover these seemingly hidden threats and immediately take them down, either one-by-one or as bulk takedowns, whichever best suits the situation. A threat hunting anti-phishing solution gathers and analyzes relevant information to prioritize the risk and fully understand the threat, in order to find the best way to prevent it. This is a more holistic approach that ensures threat discovery and management results. Your chosen solution should be capable of detecting and preventing the most advanced attacks, including look-a-like websites, impersonations, counterfeits, and online fraud to name a few. You can begin by testing your vulnerability now. 

The Checklist: 8 Questions to Help You Find the Right Anti-Phishing Solution

There are objective solution features to consider and also internal or organizational structure requirements that should be addressed before any significant cybersecurity purchase. The following checklist provides a comprehensive list of questions to help you decide which anti-phishing solution is right for your company.

Solution feature considerations:

1. 1. How quickly can this anti-phishing solution detect threats? You don’t want to let threats reveal themselves through damage. Find out exactly when you’ll be alerted about a threat and following which triggers. 
   2. Does this solution offer access to an online threat map? This will enable you to learn which threats and vulnerabilities are most pressing and prioritize accordingly. 
   3. Does this solution include automated takedown capabilities? If detection is all you get, you’ll only know when an attack is headed your way. Choose a solution that handles the situation from start to finish and performs tasks automatically to lighten the burden on your security team. 
   4. Can this solution detect, prevent and remove all online threats? There are countless threat types stemming from multiple online channels - social media accounts, domain names, website content including company logos and PPC ads to name just a few; you need a single solution to handle them all. 
   5. Can this solution detect sophisticated threats? After asking the more general previous question, be specific and find out if new, sophisticated threats like executive impersonation attacks are on the list. 
   6. Is this solution based on threat intelligence or threat hunting and what resources will you need to invest in this? Find out if the solution offers a proactive approach involving threat takedowns using threat intelligence and based on real-time data. This will enable you to prevent attacks before any damage is done and minimize risk. 

Organizational structure considerations

1. 1. Does your organizational setup have a suitable workflow with the most efficient best practices? Online threats require close collaboration between marketing, legal and the IT or cybersecurity teams. Are the foundations of processes, knowledge and good communication in place? For example, do you have a process in place to perform a fast takedown once a phishing website is discovered?
   2. What is the availability of your point of contact? The most efficient way to handle this is to have one manager responsible for coordinating the anti-phishing activities. Is this person from Tier-1 support, a SOC manager? Do you have an experienced Tier-3 support team available to spend time on analyzing results and perform takedowns?

Purchasing an anti-phishing solution is a major decision. By asking specific questions and using the field’s terminology, you’ll be able to rise above generic promises to find a solution that works for you. Don’t be tempted by grandiose marketing phrases. Know what you're looking for and make sure that the selected technology covers the right bases.