October is not only the month of tricks, treats and unlimited supplies of candy, it is also Cybersecurity Awareness month! While Cybersecurity is important every month of the year, and encompasses many facets of your organization, we will focus here on phishing, as phishing attacks account for well over half of breaches and hacks. Spear phishing (sending emails impersonating known users) continues to be attackers’ preferred vehicle as they are highly effective.
Training - Staying informed allows users to be more aware and cautious when it comes to avoiding phishing attacks and other types of online attacks
Read - Reading about other attacks and security breaches will help keep you paranoid, which you need to be, and give you good reason to keep reminding all your colleagues never to click on or believe anything in email
Evaluate the situation - Were you expecting a confirmation or notification email? Attackers take advantage of our curiosity by assuming we will click on an email even though we may not know anything about it. Never click on notification or confirmation emails, just open a web browser, and go directly to the site involved
Ask - One of the most important methods of prevention we can take is to ask! Even if you are unsure or just want to confirm, ask before you click, this can save you and your organization a lot of stress. If you are a Hybridge client, forward the email to us and we will let you know whether it is legitimate or not. If there are financial transactions involved, always CALL a number you already have on file and confirm the information on the email
Take control - Take control of your accounts by taking precautions that will make your accounts more secure. Some examples of things you can do to take control are:
- Use strong & unique passwords
- Use 2 Factor Authentication using Authy or Google Authenticator wherever possible
- Never click on or believe anything in email or SMS, they are always fake
For more information on how to stay safe, schedule your Cybersecurity Training with Hybridge for your team, offered to Hybridge clients. We can also help you craft a complete cybersecurity strategy for your business. Call us at 650-421-2000 and treat yourself to higher security this spooky season.
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