Employee Clicked a Phishing Link? What to Do in the First Hour

A phishing click does not always mean an account or computer is compromised. The risk depends on what happened next.

Did the employee:

• enter a username or password?
• approve an MFA request?
• download or open a file?
• see unusual activity on the device?

The first hour should focus on reporting, containment, and verification.

Start With the Facts

Have the employee contact IT immediately and keep the original message available.

Record:

• when the link was clicked;
• what website opened;
• whether credentials were entered;
• whether MFA was approved;
• whether a file was opened; and
• whether the device behaved differently afterward.

These details determine whether the incident involves only a suspicious email or requires account and device containment.

If Credentials Were Entered

Changing the password may not be enough.

IT may also need to:

• revoke active sessions;
• temporarily restrict account access;
• review MFA methods;
• check for unfamiliar authentication methods;
• review connected applications; and
• inspect recent account activity.

The key question is simple: Did anyone use the account before access was secured?

If a File Was Opened

A suspicious attachment or download may introduce malware.

If compromise is suspected:

• isolate the device from the business network;
• stop normal work on the computer;
• review endpoint-security alerts; and
• check for unusual processes or connections.

The goal is to prevent a potentially compromised device from reaching other business systems while IT investigates.

Check for Wider Impact

One employee may not be the only target.

IT should search for the same:

• sender;
• subject line;
• link; or
• attachment

across other employee inboxes.

If credentials were exposed, review the account for:

• unfamiliar sign-ins;
• messages the employee did not send;
• suspicious inbox rules;
• mailbox forwarding; and
• newly registered MFA methods.

Document the Response

Before closing the incident, record:

• affected user and device;
• what was clicked or entered;
• containment actions;
• password or session changes;
• security alerts reviewed; and
• any follow-up still required.

Good documentation makes the next review faster and helps identify gaps in the response process.

Be Ready Before the Next Click

The most important question for owners and operations teams is not whether employees will ever click something suspicious.

It is whether everyone knows:

• who to contact;
• who can secure an account;
• who can isolate a device; and
• who checks whether the incident spread.

Alpha Network Systems provides IT Management, help desk support, cybersecurity, cloud servers and solutions, communications, web development, disaster recovery, onsite server support, and strategic IT planning for businesses located in Greeley, Northern Colorado, and the surrounding region.

Does your team know exactly what to do after a phishing click? Contact Alpha Network Systems at 970.373.4546 or support@alphanetworksystems.com to review your phishing response process and IT support coverage.

Last updated: August 2026

By Rob Citrino, CEO at Alpha Network Systems. Rob has spent 30 years providing CIO advisory to C-Suite, ownership and IT Management teams for local and national companies.