Mother Technologies has seen a marked rise in the number of businesses falling victim to phishing attacks over the past few months, with many of those affected already having completed cyber security awareness training.
The Aberdeen-based Managed Services Provider has handled a number of cases where clients’ employees have handed over their credentials to fake Microsoft 365 or cloud service login pages. What stood out was how many of those affected weren't new to training. They'd done it properly and still fell victim.
Steve Redhead, Managing Director at Mother Technologies, said: "Here's what gets me. These are trained staff, and they're still handing their password to a fake Microsoft login page like it's nothing. That's not a dig at training, it's the baseline and it's essential. But it can't be a once-a-year box tick you forget about. It has to live in how people actually work. The email looks routine, like the fifty others you get a day, so of course people click it if pausing isn't a habit. Stop and think before you log in. Build that into the culture, not just the calendar. Training gets you started. Culture keeps you safe."
Once credentials are compromised, attackers typically access the account almost immediately, using it to send further phishing emails to colleagues, share malicious files, and spread malware through the wider organisation. Because the activity comes from a genuine, recognised account, colleagues are far more likely to trust it, and a single compromised login can escalate into a much larger incident within hours.
Mother is encouraging businesses to build a habit of pausing before entering credentials anywhere, checking the login prompt was actually expected and the URL looks right, and going directly to a service rather than clicking through if anything feels off. Mother also points to a longer-term industry shift towards passkeys and other passwordless methods, which should make attacks like these less effective over time.
For more information on Mother Technologies visit https://www.mothertech.co.uk/aberdeen/