It only takes a moment for a hacker to infiltrate your business. Are you and your staff staying aware of these major threats to your company’s security?
Only a few weeks into the coronavirus crisis, and there are scams popping up throughout the business world. Hackers quickly began taking advantage of the public’s need for information to begin spam campaigns that appear to be from legitimate sources and creating other ways to defraud both individuals and businesses. Reducing the risk for your organization starts with awareness of the various ways that cybercriminals are spreading malware and ransomware, but you can help slow the damage by proactively sharing information with your employees and personal network.
Holden Watne, an IT consulting expert in Los Angeles shares a few of the primary ways that cybercriminals are trying to get through your defenses.
Your Check’s In the Mail
With millions of Americans facing work slowdowns, furloughs or outright layoffs, people are hungry for options that will help pay the bills and keep food on the table. With the government promising stimulus checks to come in the next few weeks, hackers are exploiting this need for information by creating false messaging that purports to be from the government. If you receive an email or see a social media advertisement regarding money that seems to be “magically” available from the government — be wary! There’s a good possibility that this was created by scammers who are attempting to capture your personal information.
There’s (Currently) No Cure for Coronavirus
Another way that hackers are playing on our emotions is to send emails that appear to be from the government or World Health Organization pitching a miracle cure for COVID-19. As of now, there is no cure for this fast-moving virus, and anything you read to the contrary is likely to be a cyberattack waiting to happen. This type of public health scam might ask for your personal information, encourage you to click a link to see when coronavirus testing is happening in your area or another unlikely message.
Is Your IT Department Safe?
With so many individuals working from home, you want to know that you can trust your IT department to provide the best information and most up-to-date strategies for staying safe. Unfortunately, hackers are preying on this heightened level of trust with your technology professionals, and are creating messages that appear to come from internal sources asking you to download an update or asking for your password. These social engineering scams are centered around the changing paradigm for workers that may be unfamiliar with remote working procedures or newer to the company. Have your internal IT team create a centralized location for information so all employees can regularly check for updates and be sure they’re not being deceived or misdirected.
Robocalls and SMS Text Messaging
SMS text messages are one of the new areas where cybercriminals are taking full advantage of the tools at their disposal, with messages that are often targeted at individuals who are concerned about the health of their families. With the robocall scams, the majority of these messages are targeted to small to mid-size business owners. Messages request business owners to review their current Google business information, clicking the link to “make updates”. Remind staff members to hang up on any robocalls that they receive — even those that seem to have valid messages to share.
Whether your primary focus is on providing a solid base for productivity or keeping your network safe during these tumultuous times, it’s good to know that your local IT managed services providers are available to help. Cybersecurity is a key consideration for organizations of all sizes, with IT and business leaders alike looking for ways to reduce the risks associated with remote work and changing system access levels. It’s an unfortunate reality that hackers do not have to spend the time getting up to speed to launch an attack. They are already comfortable with remote working conditions and thrive on finding ways to infiltrate your secure business operations — preying on the confusion created by the coronavirus pandemic.
