August 18, 2025
While you and your team may be returning from vacation, cybercriminals remain relentlessly active. Recent research from ProofPoint and Check Point reveals a noticeable surge in phishing attacks during the summer months. Here's what you need to know to recognize threats and protect your business effectively.
What Drives This Increased Threat?
Cyber attackers exploit the summer travel season by impersonating popular hotel and Airbnb websites, according to Check Point Research. They've observed a staggering 55% rise in new vacation-related website domains created in May 2025 compared to the previous year, with over 39,000 domains registered. Alarmingly, one out of every 21 of these domains is flagged as malicious or suspicious.
Additionally, the return-to-school period stimulates another wave of phishing attacks masquerading as legitimate university emails aimed at students and faculty. Even if your industry isn't directly targeted, employees accessing personal emails on work devices during this period can inadvertently expose your company to significant cyber risks from just one mistaken click.
Proactive Steps To Shield Your Business
As AI enhances both cybersecurity defenses and attackers' tactics, recognizing phishing attempts becomes more challenging yet crucial. Empower yourself and your team with the right knowledge to spot and avoid dangerous links.
Essential safety practices include:
· Vigilantly scrutinize emails. Beyond spotting spelling mistakes or awkward phrasing, examine sender addresses closely and hover over links to verify their authenticity — AI-generated phishing emails are increasingly sophisticated.
· Verify URLs carefully. Watch out for subtle misspellings or unusual domain suffixes like .today or .info, which often indicate fraudulent sites.
· Access websites directly. Instead of clicking links embedded in emails or messages, manually type the website's address or use a trusted bookmark.
· Activate Multifactor Authentication (MFA). MFA adds a critical security layer that shields your login credentials and sensitive data, even if a breach occurs.
· Exercise caution with public WiFi. When connecting through public networks, use a VPN to protect your sensitive transactions, such as booking travel or accessing financial accounts.
· Avoid checking personal emails on work devices. Mixing personal and business usage elevates security risks. Keep personal accounts on your private devices and business-related access on company equipment.
· Consult your MSP about endpoint security solutions. Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) tools can continuously monitor your devices, identify and block phishing threats and malware, and alert your support team immediately to contain potential breaches.
Phishing schemes grow more sophisticated daily, accelerated by AI advancements. Staying informed and vigilant is your strongest defense. Empower your team with knowledge to keep threats at bay and maintain a secure digital environment.
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