IT SECURITY

Phishing

4. 5. 2026

Fraud Targeting Your Trust. How to Keep Your Company’s Keys Away from Criminals?

Phishing is not an attack on software — it targets human trust. It is the most widespread form of social engineering, disguised as perfectly normal and legitimate communication — like a message from your bank, a courier, your boss, or the IT department.

The attacker has one goal: to make you hand over sensitive data yourself, in a moment of haste or stress. Login credentials, financial details, corporate access. Phishing doesn’t target firewalls — it targets the human reflex to act quickly, trust what looks “normal”, and not question the details. That’s exactly why it works.

What Phishing Looks Like in Practice

Fake Communication from a Bank or Government Agency

An email bearing your bank’s or tax authority’s logo announces that you must “urgently verify your account due to suspicious activity”. The graphics are flawless, the tone urgent. You click the link, log in on a fake page, and in that same instant your company’s banking credentials are sent to the attacker. <b>The result? Money disappears from the account.</b>

SMS about a ‘Win’ or ‘Shipment Update’ (Smishing)

You receive an unexpected text message (known as Smishing): you’ve won a prize, your shipment status has changed, or you face a fine. Everything requires a ‘top-up’ or ‘verification’ via a link. The link redirects you to a page that collects your personal data — or even downloads malware directly onto your phone, opening the door to your entire digital ecosystem.

Targeted Attacks: Spear Phishing and Business Email Compromise (BEC)

The most dangerous attacks are spear phishing — targeting a specific employee — and BEC (Business Email Compromise), where the attacker impersonates a senior manager or CFO. These attacks request urgent payments to suppliers, the sending of sensitive documents, or changes to banking details. They exploit knowledge of internal processes and cause the greatest financial damage.

The Reality of Attacks: Statistics That Speak for Themselves

The numbers on phishing in the Czech Republic are alarming and demonstrate why technological protection alone is not enough.

+400% – increase in phishing messages in the Czech Republic

30% – of all malware arrives via email

80% – of successful attacks start with human error

Three Layers of Defense: A Strategy to Protect Your Data

Human Firewall: The most effective defense does not start with technology, but with people. Regular and realistic training, phishing attack simulations, and clear internal procedures dramatically reduce risk. The key is teaching employees to think like an attacker — to recognize an urgent tone, a suspicious domain, and a request for sensitive data.

Technological Barrier: The foundation is robust technological protection serving as the first line of defense. Deploy advanced email filters and attachment sandboxing to stop malicious code before delivery. Equally critical is the proper configuration of DMARC, DKIM, and SPF protocols. These standards verify senders and effectively prevent attackers from impersonating your company.

Out-of-Channel Verification Rule Any unexpected or urgent request for sensitive data (passwords, payments, documents) should always be verified outside the channel through which it arrived. If an email comes from the boss, call them. If the bank calls to verify, call back on the official number. This is the most effective way to detect Business Email Compromise.

The Cost of Carelessness: When One Click Decides Your Company’s Security

Phishing attacks have consequences similar to ransomware: financial losses, data breaches, operational disruption, and reputational damage. Unlike ransomware, however, phishing often serves as the first step — a gateway that opens the door to far more destructive campaigns.

Prevention is not a matter of comfort. It is a necessity.

mitel: a partner protecting your people and your data

Phishing attacks are evolving rapidly, but with the right combination of education, technical measures, and clear internal processes, their risk can be substantially reduced. mitel helps organizations build defense where it hurts most — with people and their everyday communication.

We are ready to help you strengthen your security culture and protect your organization from attacks that begin with a single click.

Author of the article:

Mitel