Cyber attacks are on the rise each year. 2021 saw 50% more attacks per week on corporate networks compared to 2020. (*Checkpoint.com) A cyber attack is an attempt by hackers to disable computers, steal data, and breach a network for additional attacks, and many are launched by cybercriminals against businesses for financial gain. In 2020, over 60% of data breaches were financially motivated. (*Government Technology) It is imperative that businesses protect themselves against these attacks.
According to a study conducted by IBM, human error is the main cause of 95% of cyber security breaches. These types of errors include weak passwords, clicking on suspicious emails or links, or transferring funds to a hacker because of fake email posing as a supervisor. Many of these cyber attacks are referred to as “phishing,” which is when attackers send a malicious email designed to trick people into a scam and entering personal data. Here are some tipes on how to identify a phishing email:
- The email domain is not from the company or is misspelled. For example: infobank@gmail.com or info@bankoamerica.com By hovering with a mouse over most links, the actual link will be revealed for you to see.
- There are typos or poor grammar throughout the email.
- Suspicious links or attachments are included. You may not be expecting an email or may receive a strange email that asks you to confirm an order by clicking on a link or an attachment. If you do this, you may be downloading ransomware. Cyber attack stats for 2021 reveal that the .zip and .jar extensions both make up for 37% of all malicious email attachments sent on the web. The next most popular one is the (.exe) extension with 19.5%. (source Kaspersky). Be on the lookout for those extensions.
- Urgency is requested. This type of email may have a deadline and may be sent supposedly by your supervisor. The email may require transferring funds.
To secure your company’s data and protect from any monetary loss, educate your employees; they are your first line of defense against malicious cyber attacks. Seltek offers Cyber Security Assessments and monthly training for employees. Contact us at (804)360-4490 ext 8 or info@seltekinc.com.
