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What to Do If You Clicked a Phishing Link: A Guide for Australian Small Businesses

Scams & Phishing KB-664

Summary

This guide helps you troubleshoot and resolve: What to Do If You Clicked a Phishing Link: A Guide for Australian Small Businesses. Follow the steps below to fix the issue.

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Common Causes

Clicking a phishing link can happen to anyone. Phishing emails and text messages are designed to look legitimate, often mimicking trusted brands, government agencies, or colleagues. If you have clicked a suspicious link, acting quickly can limit the damage to your accounts, your device, and your business data.

Quick Fix Steps

  1. Disconnect your device from the internet immediately.
  2. Do not enter any usernames, passwords, or payment details if a page opened.
  3. Run a full antivirus scan on the affected device.
  4. Change passwords for any accounts you may have accessed on that device.
  5. Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) on your critical accounts.
  6. Report the incident to your IT support provider.

Detailed Instructions

1. Disconnect from the internet

Disconnecting stops any malware from communicating with external servers and prevents further data from being sent.

Do not reconnect to the internet until you have completed a security scan and changed your passwords.

2. Avoid entering information on suspicious pages

If the link opened a website asking you to log in, verify your identity, or enter payment details, close the browser tab immediately. Do not enter any credentials, even if the page looks like a familiar service such as Microsoft 365, MyGov, or your bank.

3. Run a full antivirus scan

Use your organisation's approved security software to perform a full system scan.

If your antivirus detects threats, follow its prompts to quarantine or remove them. Restart your device after the scan completes.

4. Change your passwords

Change passwords for any accounts you accessed on the affected device, especially:

Use a strong, unique password for each account. Consider using a password manager to generate and store credentials securely.

5. Enable multi-factor authentication

Multi-factor authentication adds a second layer of security. Even if an attacker obtains your password, they cannot access your account without the additional verification code.

Enable MFA through your account security settings. Common options include:

6. Check for unauthorised activity

Review your accounts for signs of compromise:

If you find unauthorised transactions, contact your bank immediately using the phone number on the back of your card or from their official website.

7. Report the incident

Contact your IT support provider so they can investigate and help secure your network. You can also report phishing attempts to the Australian Cyber Security Centre through cyber.gov.au.

When you are ready to escalate the issue, Open a Ticket through the 220 Internet Services support portal.

Troubleshooting

I cannot disconnect from Wi-Fi

If you cannot access network settings, enable Airplane mode or physically unplug the router or Ethernet cable.

My antivirus will not run a scan

Restart your device and try again. If the issue persists, boot into Safe Mode and run the scan from there.

I think I entered my password on a phishing site

Change that password immediately from a different, trusted device. If you reuse the same password elsewhere, change it on those accounts too.

Enable MFA on all critical accounts as soon as possible. This is one of the most effective ways to protect your business from phishing attacks.

Still Having Issues?

Need more help? If the issue persists after trying these steps, please open a support ticket and our team will assist you.

💻 Open a Ticket

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