Two employees are seated at a workstation, looking at their computer monitors.

Spear-phishing attacks target individuals with a highly tailored email that appears to be coming from a co-worker, or someone they know and trust.

A closeup of an email with an attachment.

This makes it harder to resist opening a malicious attachment or clicking on an infected link.

A desktop screen is filled with application icons.

To protect yourself from spear-phishers, be cautious about what you share online; this is just one way they obtain information about you and your organization.

A closeup of an email with an attachment.

Also, if you receive an email from someone that is suspicious in nature,

An animated icon of an email with an exclamation point pops up onscreen.

contact the sender directly and ask if they sent the email before clicking on any links, or opening any attachments.

Two employees are looking at a shared computer monitor.

By trusting your instincts and authenticating the sender of a suspicious email, you can avoid being caught in a spear-phisher’s net.