Phishing is the biggest threat to corporate data and customer trust. As a DPO, you see every day how a single click can cause major consequences: data breaches, financial loss and reputational damage. This post explains what phishing is, why it works, and — most importantly — what you can do right now to protect your organization and customers.
What is phishing and why does it work?
Phishing are fraudulent messages (email, SMS, phone calls) that impersonate a trusted sender to obtain credentials, payment details or other sensitive information. Attackers exploit urgency, curiosity or authority and rely more on human error than on technical weaknesses.
Practical examples:
- An employee receives an email appearing to come from the CEO asking to make an urgent payment (BEC).
- A customer gets a fake invoice with a link to a lookalike payment page.
- A user clicks a link and enters credentials on a cloned login page (credential harvesting).
Three core principles for effective protection
- People: training and awareness are crucial.
- Processes: verify payment and change requests.
- Technology: prevent, detect and respond with appropriate technical controls.
Concrete measures you can implement today
- Require two-factor authentication (2FA) for all business and customer portals. Prefer (open-source) authenticator apps or hardware tokens.
- Implement and enforce SPF, DKIM and DMARC on your domains to reduce email spoofing.
- Deploy email filtering with anti-phishing scans and attachment sandboxing.
- Use endpoint detection and response (EDR) and ensure all devices are patched and up to date.
- Run regular, realistic phishing simulations and review results with teams. Reward employees who report phishing; do not punish those who make honest mistakes.
- Establish a clear internal reporting procedure: where to report and what steps will be taken.
- Harden payment processes: dual approval for large payments and phone verification using independently sourced phone numbers.
- Apply least-privilege access controls and conduct periodic access reviews.
- Maintain encrypted, offline backups and regularly test recovery procedures.
What to do if you suspect a compromise
- Isolate: temporarily disconnect the affected device from the network.
- Reset: enforce password changes and revoke active sessions for potentially compromised accounts.
- Report: follow your incident response and breach notification procedures (assess notification to regulator within 72 hours).
- Recover: restore from backups and perform a forensic investigation; document all actions and lessons learned.
For your customers: simple rules that build trust
- Educate customers about phishing signs and safe payment practices.
- Publish official communication channels and encourage independent verification when in doubt.
- Provide clear steps for customers to follow if they receive a suspicious message (preserve the message, report to support, change passwords).
Practical checklist (ready to use)
- [ ] 2FA enabled for all critical accounts
- [ ] SPF/DKIM/DMARC configured and tested
- [ ] Quarterly phishing simulation scheduled
- [ ] Incident response and notification procedures updated and communicated
- [ ] Backup and recovery tests every 3 months
Closing note
Phishing is not just a technical problem — it’s a people and process problem supported by technology. As a DPO, we recommend a combined approach: strengthen technology, train people, and formalize processes. This reduces breach risk and increases customer trust.
Would you like us to create a tailored phishing simulation, a customer awareness email, or a short (staff) training session? Contact Us.