Phishing is the most common entry point for cyberattacks. It needs no technical flaw, only a moment of inattention. CEO fraud is the targeted variant: few, carefully prepared messages to people who can trigger payments.
How it works
Classic phishing imitates familiar senders such as banks, parcel services or Microsoft and leads to fake sign-in pages. In CEO fraud, attackers first research names, responsibilities and ongoing projects, often from public sources. Then comes a message from apparent management: a confidential acquisition, an urgent payment, please tell nobody. A variant is a fake supplier notice of new bank details.
How to recognise it
Time pressure, secrecy and a request to bypass normal procedures are the typical signs. Add sender addresses resembling the real one and links whose destination does not match the supposed organisation. Modern phishing messages are linguistically flawless; typos are no longer a reliable signal.
What really protects
Processes protect better than suspicion: bank detail changes are always confirmed via a known phone number, payments above a threshold require the four-eyes principle, and nobody is criticised for checking an instruction from management. Technically, MFA ensures stolen passwords alone are not enough, and DMARC stops your own domain being spoofed. Regular security awareness keeps the topic present.