This past week in ISM, I completed my fourth research assessment and began my original work research on phishing attacks. My goal was to understand what a phishing attack is, how a phishing attack is implemented, and how companies prevent such attacks from happening. I learned that a phishing attack targets both businesses and users by urging them to click on a suspicious email or link that exposes their personal data and credentials. There are multiple types of phishing attacks such as email phishing, spear phishing which aims at specific users and employees, and whaling which targets senior executives at a company. This was fascinating, as I understood how customization and understanding one's feelings relates to cybersecurity. Through my research, I want to focus on a potential solution for these attacks by conducting this primary research and simulating this attack with users to understand human error. One way that I can simulate this attack is by conducting an email phishing attack.
I am also working to finalize my mentor and am setting up a call with a professional I interviewed just a few weeks ago to discuss the possibility of conducting this mentorship and shadowing them. I plan to set up a call this weekend, and will create a plan from there based on the discussion.
This week I continued to demonstrate key skills such as hard work, curiosity, and a willingness to learn and keep up to date with the latest cybersecurity trends.
