Overview

The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is aware of recent increases in spear phishing attacks targeting local individuals. Spear phishing is a form of cyber-attack where criminals impersonate trusted sources (such as coworkers, managers, or partner organizations) using stolen or publicly available information. If these attacks are successful, they can lead to data breaches, malware infections, financial losses, and reputational damage to both individuals and organizations.

Safety Tips

• Clean Up Your Online Information: Regularly review your online presence and remove unnecessary personal details (e.g., phone numbers, email addresses, job titles) to limit the information attackers can use for impersonation.
• Boost Your Email Defenses: Make sure that your email system has strong, up-to-date filters to catch phishing attempts before they can land in your inbox.
• Help Your Team Spot Scams: Conduct regular phishing awareness training to help employees recognize impersonation and other email scams. Encourage employees to verify unusual or urgent requests.