BEST PRACTICE
Davia Moss
is vice president of operations and client services at Next Horizon, a Sanford-based IT and digital marketing agency that provides holistic technology solutions for businesses looking to improve sales, increase agility and optimize productivity. She can be reached at: dmoss@nexthorizon.net.
Phishing scams account for 90% of security breaches in businesses. In particular, manufacturers, telecom and technology companies have been hit hard by this incessant tactic. However, none have been hit harder than the health care industry during the pandemic. — Davia Moss
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APRIL 2021 | i4Biz.com
Cybercrime PHISHING: THE EASIEST WAY TO LET A HACKER INTO YOUR BUSINESS
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et’s suppose you’re going through your inbox and you find an email from a reputable company you know. But there’s a catch. It’s asking you for personal information like a password or credit card numbers. Stop! Don’t fall for the common cybercrime called phishing. This cybercrime uses emails to gain valuable personal information about you or your company. Its namesake comes from fishing, where it’s like baiting a line to catch a fish. Many of these scams can be “baiting” you to get personal information that can be used to break into your online accounts or even your computer’s hard drive. According to a Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, phishing scams account for 90% of security breaches in businesses. In particular, manufacturers, telecom and technology companies have been hit hard by
this incessant tactic. However, none have been hit harder than the health care industry during the pandemic. Medical workers have received information seemingly from reputable companies about coronavirus vaccines and “updated” safety information. These scams used signatures that posed as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Electronic Frontier Foundation or even research teams at reputable universities.
Identifying a Scam
How can you train your employees to identify a phishing scam? Research. Train. Practice. Repeat. When we think of on-the-job training, we think of corny videos you watch once a year (or less) about workplace etiquette. Instead, phishing awareness training should be
