Phishing scams like this one are more common than ever – without the right cybersecurity services in Chesterfield, your business will be left vulnerable.
You and I know that effective communication with co-workers and clients is crucial, but are you sure your employees are practicing safe email and messaging conduct? If you don’t already have the best cybersecurity services in Chesterfield, your answer is probably,
“I’m not sure”, right?
Cybercriminals are smart – they adapt quickly and continually come up with new ways to take advantage of businesses like yours. A popular tactic among hackers today is “phishing”, a method in which they send fraudulent emails that appear to be from reputable sources in order to get recipients to reveal sensitive information and execute significant financial transfers. With only a surprisingly small amount of information, cybercriminals can convincingly pose as business members and superiors in order to persuade employees to give them money, data or crucial information.
At this point, phishing attempts are nothing new, but without the right cybersecurity services in Chesterfield, you can still fall victim to a common phishing scam. A new scam has just been brought to our attention, so we’re sharing the specifics with you so that you and your team can avoid it.
Researchers from Malwarebytes have recently discovered a number of fraudulent messages coming from hacked Premium LinkedIn accounts that ask the recipient to enter their email credentials on phishing site for their respective email provider. The deceptive link may not appear as such, given that the messages abuse the popular link shortening service ow.ly to send message recipients to the phishing page.
Once the user’s email, password, and other information have been entered into the fraudulent website, the damage is done. The hacker can then take the information and do even more damage with it. It’s the new and constantly evolving cybercrime threats like these that make cybersecurity services in Chesterfield so vital.
The key to phishing methodology is that it doesn’t rely on digital security vulnerabilities or cutting edge hacking technology; phishing targets the user, who, without the right training, will always be a security risk, regardless of the IT measures set in place. The reality is that small and medium-sized businesses like yours are put at great risk if you don’t have cybersecurity services in Chesterfield.
So what’s the answer? What can the average business member do to keep themselves and their company safe when criminals are employing such deceitful methods? In addition to equipping your business with the best cybersecurity services in Chesterfield, you should also:
- Never give out private information: The trusted institutions with which you do business will not ask you for your private information. They already have your account numbers, social security number, and your passwords. They won’t have any good reason to ask for it again, right? If an email from a superior or external contact asks for that info, it is likely a scam, so be sure to confirm the request by phone or in person.
- Never click on a link before you hover over it with your mouse: If you hover over a link with your mouse, your computer will show you where that link is actually taking you. Many times, criminals will give you what looks like the right link (such as www.YourBank.com) but when you hover over the link with your mouse it actually will show something different (such as www.YourBank/2340937fvt5.com). If the link is not as advertised, then don’t click.
- Always check up on unexpected email attachments. If you get an email from someone you know with an attachment that you weren’t expecting, give them a call or send them an email to confirm that the attachment is from them and is legitimate before you open it.
The fact is that phishing attacks continue to happen on a regular basis; new variations on the same old trick that pop up over and over again points to a bigger problem than the scams themselves. Cybercriminals keep doing the same old thing because users keep falling for the exact same tactics without ever seeming to learn from the experience. That’s what makes ongoing cybersecurity training, and further support that comes from cybersecurity services in Chesterfield such a crucial part of business today.
Waiting for another major cyberattack to start making the rounds is not the time to start looking at training your staff. Making cybersecurity education a routine for your entire team – management included – is the most effective way to stop a phishing attempt. Allow Alliance Technology Partners to help – we’ve been providing cybersecurity services in Chesterfield to a number of businesses like yours for years, and we will do the same for you.
Want to learn more about the steps you can take to protect your business against phishing? Contact Alliance Technology Partners at info@alliancetechpartners.com or (314) 391-9888 for proven cybersecurity services in Chesterfield.
