Phishing remains a persistent cyber threat to internet users. This is evidenced by the 2026 activity report from Cybermalveillance. Gou, which shows that this technique remains one of the most popular among cybercriminals. And businesses are certainly not immune to this trend. So, to protect your organization, we provide you with all the tools you need to detect these scams and protect yourself against them.
What is phishing?
Phishing, also known as email scams, is a type of fraud often carried out via email ( although SMishing and Vishing also exist ). Hackers typically impersonate a trusted organization (company, bank, tax office, etc.). Under pretenses, they ask recipients for their bank details or login credentials for third-party services, often to extort money. These three types of strategies, based on social engineering, are commonly used to lure you in: You have not paid a certain amount of money (bills, taxes, electricity, telephone, etc.), and you are ordered to do so under penalty of sanction. You have been notified of a financial error in your favor (taxes, bank details, etc.) and are encouraged to request a refund promptly. Due to a technical error or bug, you are asked to confirm certain confidential information by logging into a web page.
Detect a phishing attempt.
Fortunately, there are ways to spot these phishing attempts. Some are incredibly realistic, others are downright crude, but all contain at least one of these elements that should raise a red flag:g Suspicious layout: blurry or pixelated images, the use of an outdated organization logo can be signs of a phishing attempt. To be sure, compare the email you received to other emails from the organization you may have received (check your trash if necessary). If the new email’s design differs from previous ones, you are probably dealing with a scam. Non-professional” sender email address: The sender’s email address does not match the email address usually used to communicate with you. It may not have the same domain name as the organization’s official website, or it may be completely fictitious (example: ed. la bolgb ew. re vres@ ilema ). In any case, do not rely solely on the displayed sender name. In the case of domain name spoofing or email spoofing, the name may appear legitimate, but when you check the associated email address, it is often suspicious. Suspicious link: Hover your mouse over the link in the email without clicking to see its URL. If the URL differs from the organization’s official website URL, consider the link suspicious. For example, an allocataire should raise a red flag, as CAF website URLs are in the format ” https://caf.fr/allocataires/ “. Note that this is more difficult to do on a mobile device.
Spelling/Syntax Mistakes: If you notice spelling/grammar mistakes, inappropriate expressions, awkward phrasing, or an overall lack of care in the tone of the message, these are signs that you are probably facing a phishing attempt. Although, indeed, hackers are now paying more and more attention to these details. Example of a phishing attempt As a picture is worth a thousand words, here is an example: A discerning eye will immediately notice: The sender’s email address does not correspond to the domain name of the official Health Insurance website (ameli.fr) a logo that takes up a huge amount of space and is of poor quality spelling mistakes even in the email subject line, as well as omissions of words These inaccuracies give an unprofessional impression. For example, the email subject line is usually more precise than “Health Insurance | Ameli.fr”. The button, which tries to reassure the user with its label, but which becomes suspicious since usually the label is more explicit (example: “Access my insured space” or “Download my certificate”…)
How to protect yourself from phishing?
1. Never share confidential information by email
A reputable organization (bank, insurance company, government website, etc.) will never request confidential data (passwords, personal information, account or credit card numbers, etc.) from its clients/users via email. Even if the message urges you to respond under threat of financial penalties, do not react impulsively. First, consider whether the request is legitimate.
2. Clear up the doubt quickly
Next, you can contact the email sender (via another channel) to confirm that they are indeed the sender. This way, you instantly clarify the situation. If they are not the sender, you inform them of a potential security issue with their work email account. This allows them to implement a prevention campaign for their clients or users.
3. Never click on a suspicious link in an email
If you have any doubt about the legitimacy of a link presented to you in the content of the email, do not click on it
First, examine its URL; any spelling mistakes or irregularities (an extra or missing hyphen or period, for example) should raise a red flag . And if you’re still unsure whether the link is legitimate or not: Manually search a search engine for the website of the organization that appears to have sent you this email. Browse and log in to the site only from this search result and not from the link provided in the email. Also, be vigilant. Some websites, such as the tax website, sometimes display messages warning you about potential phishing campaigns carried out using their identity .
4. Check the security of the website you are being redirected to.
If it becomes truly necessary to provide your confidential information to an organization via a web form, we recommend verifying that the site in question is secure and reliable. Its web address does indeed begin with a “padlock ” icon, and a small ” padlock ” icon is present next to the site’s domain name. The legal notices are clearly displayed and accessible. Also note that some browsers display “Phishing” warnings when you try to access sites categorized as such. If your browser alerts you, trust it and leave the page immediately.
5. Protect yourself using tools
The goal is to minimize the number of phishing campaigns that land in your inbox. Because the fewer you encounter them, the less likely you are to fall victim to a trap.
To do this, use spam filtering software. Alternatively, use your email’s automatic spam/junk mail filtering features. While these filters aren’t exhaustive, they can drastically reduce the number of fraudulent emails you receive. And of course, it’s essential to complement these measures with an up-to-date professional cybersecurity solution (EDR/XDR) that can alert you if you receive a suspicious email.
6. Practice spotting phishing campaigns
Phishing attacks rely primarily on users’ gullibility and lack of information about this practice. Train yourself and your teams to recognize these types of cyberattacks . This is the first line of defense against them! You can, for example, discuss recent phishing cases (unfortunately, you’ll always have resources…). Or, organize mock phishing campaigns within your company. This will allow you to assess your employees’ knowledge and debrief on their reactions in this specific situation. And to delve deeper into the subject, you can also consult our article dedicated to cybersecurity awareness. Finally,y aware that in the event of a cyberattack, your organization alone is responsible. Consequently, you will not be able to recover the money the hackers manage to steal from you. And if the hackers have targeted your company’s data, you could potentially face sanctions from the CNIL (French Data Protection Authority ), especially if they deem your IT system insufficiently secure.
That’s why, at Axis Solutions, we use our cybersecurity expertise as a shield against cyberattacks targeting your business . After analyzing your structure and work methods, we integrate the necessary tools into your system (antispam, EDR/XDR, firewall, VPN, intrusion prevention/detection, etc.) to provide 360° protection for your business data. And because you can never be too careful, we also support you in implementing regular backups and Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Plans (BCDP) .
