Email phishing scams are deceptive messages designed to trick your staff into revealing sensitive information, clicking harmful links, or downloading malware. These scams often look like legitimate emails from trusted sources such as banks, suppliers, or even internal colleagues. For Australian small and mid-sized businesses, falling victim to phishing can lead to serious consequences including data breaches, financial loss, and operational downtime.
Why phishing matters for Australian SMBs
Phishing attacks can disrupt your business in multiple ways. If an employee unknowingly provides login credentials or opens a malicious attachment, attackers may gain access to your systems, steal customer data, or spread ransomware. This can halt your operations while you recover, damage your reputation with customers, and potentially expose you to privacy compliance issues under Australian data protection laws.
A typical scenario and how to respond
Consider a 50-employee Australian accounting firm that receives an email appearing to be from a major client requesting urgent invoice details. An employee clicks a link that installs malware, allowing hackers to access confidential financial information. With a managed IT partner, the firm could have had email filtering to block suspicious messages, staff training to recognise phishing signs, and incident response plans to isolate infected devices quickly. The IT provider would also help with recovery and strengthening defences to prevent repeat attacks.
Practical checklist to reduce phishing risk
- Ask your IT provider: What email filtering and anti-phishing tools do you implement? How often do you update these protections?
- Verify staff training: Does your provider offer regular phishing awareness sessions or simulated phishing tests?
- Check password policies: Are employees required to use strong, unique passwords and enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) on all accounts?
- Review incident response plans: How quickly can your IT team detect and isolate phishing-related breaches?
- Audit email settings: Ensure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are configured to help prevent spoofed emails pretending to come from your domain.
- Backup critical data: Confirm backups are performed regularly and stored securely offline or in the cloud, so you can restore data if ransomware strikes.
- Encourage cautious behaviour: Remind staff to verify unexpected requests by phone and avoid clicking links or opening attachments from unknown senders.