Tag Archives: Cybersecurity risks

The Top 5 Ways Cybercriminals Use Social Engineering

Cybercriminals Use Social Engineering
Cybersecurity, Phishing, Security, , , , , , ,

Advanced technology and cutting-edge hacking techniques have been the main tool that cybercriminals use for online attacks. But did you know that the most effective method that hackers use for enticing victims online is something so much simpler? Cybercriminals use social engineering or in other words, manipulate people by establishing trust and playing on their emotions.

Common Methods of Social Engineering Attacks

There are a number of creative ways that social engineers go about their devious ways. However, there are five ways that stand out on how cybercriminals use social engineering for their personal gain.

Phishing

This method is by far the most common and most effective tactic that cybercriminals use in social engineering. It has been around for years yet people continue to fall for it at an alarmingly high rate. Phishing is common using emails. In fact, anyone who has an email account would likely have received several phishing attempts in their inbox.

Among the earliest phishing emails are those that come from a Nigerian prince who needs your help in getting his inheritance and in return, he will give you a sizable portion of his wealth. Later on, phishing emails became more believable, like an email from what seems to be your bank, asking to verify your account number. Recently, phishing through social media has become rampant, where you would be asked to log in to your account on what seems to be a real social media site but is actually just a clever imitation.

Baiting

Baiting is what cybercriminals use social engineering and is an approach where something is in front of the target victim, hoping to get them to click on a link and fall for the trap. It could be a free movie or song or something that would be of interest to the victim. The link does not give them what was promised and is instead some kind of malware that will cause damage.

Cybercriminals use Social Engineering Pretexting

This kind of social engineering scam is where the hacker pretends to be someone that the victim knows. They might pretend to be the head of IT doing some routine check, then ask for an employee’s login info. Or they might pretend to be a law enforcer or investigator, at which many people would be very cooperative. Because the employee thinks the hacker is a trusted entity, they might willingly give their details.

Quid Pro Quo

This is a type of social engineering attack where the hacker offers you something in exchange for critical information. Let’s say a disgruntled employee has been laid off or had left a company in not so amicable terms. Hackers hunt these disgruntled individuals and offer to buy the information that they can use to attack the company.

Cybercriminals use Social Engineering Piggybacking

Although social engineering these days is through online, there are still plenty of approaches that take place in the physical environment. Piggybacking is one such example. Also known as tailgating, piggybacking is when someone discreetly follows an authorized person into a restricted area of the building. Once they are in, they can easily access computers to steal data.

How to Be Safe from Cybercriminals using Social Engineering Attacks

There are so many ways of how cybercriminals use social engineering for malicious intent these days. However, there are also several things that you can do to keep safe from these attacks.

Many of the preventive measures are actually very simple, starting with never revealing passwords and other sensitive data to anyone. This includes heads of IT departments, people in charge of corporate audits, or even law enforcers.

As a business owner, it is also crucial to ensure that you educate all your employees fully when it comes to social engineering attacks and other cybercrimes. You can check what they already know about the dark web by having them take this 10-question cybersecurity quiz.

We have plenty of tools and resources that can help boost your protection against all kinds of cyberattacks. Call us today and we will be happy to put together a strategy that will keep your business and data as safe as can be!

Where Does Social Engineering Scams Come from?

Social Engineering scams
Cybersecurity, Data Backup, Security, , , , , , ,

Social engineering scams are so much more rampant these days than ever before. There will certainly be suspicious-looking items in your inbox when you check your emails, which are most likely phishing emails. Many people now know to avoid clicking these malicious emails, which is a good thing. But still, their vast amount makes you wonder, where do social engineering scams come from anyway? The very simple answer to that is social media.

How Social Media Is Used for Social Engineering scams

According to the latest count, there are more than 4.74 billion social media users today. For hackers, each of these users is a potential target. Hackers are using social media to entice unsuspecting users into their traps because there is such a large online population. Specifically, they create fake accounts that are used in either of the following four methods.

Manipulating Public Opinion

People can be very impressionable, especially regarding things they see on social media. Social engineers take advantage of this vulnerability to sway the public’s view on certain things, like politics. Political parties routinely create millions of fake accounts to spread information that could sway voters during elections. Online, posts from phony accounts can spread quickly and have a significant impact on voters for very little money. This is what you call Social Engineering scams.

False Advertising

It is very common to see posts on social media where you can supposedly win a prize if you like or share their page. Or how about those pages that are apparently on the verge of closing down and need to dispose of their inventory quickly, where you can get a chance to get one of their products by simply sharing their page. These are nothing but social engineering scams called false advertising.

After Steve Jobs’ death, a viral post claimed Apple was honoring him by giving away iPhones and iPads.. Millions of people from around the world clicked on the malicious link, thinking they were just entering a raffle. What happened instead was that their devices got infected with a nasty virus.

Minimally Invested Profiles or MIPs

Minimally invested profiles are created en masse and are usually bare profiles, usually with seductive profile photos that are meant to get people interested enough to add them as a contact, typically on Facebook. Once the connection has been established, the hacker will then use this fake MIP to send malware through messenger or post malicious links on your wall. That is when they start the social engineering scams.

Fully Invested Profiles or FIPs

The intended purpose of fully invested profiles is pretty much the same as that of the MIPs, which is to get people to click on certain links. But an FIP involves more effort as it is made to look authentic to the eyes of the target victim. It could imitate the account of real contact, and they might try to add you saying that they created a new account because they were hacked, or they forgot the password, and so on.

You can actually spot these fake profiles easily by practicing due diligence. Check out every account before accepting friend requests. If the account is relatively new and is suspiciously lacking in friends or content, then that is a red flag right there.

Protect Yourself From Social Engineering Scams

Social media may be part of our daily lives, but that doesn’t mean you can use it carelessly. Never be caught unaware when you are online, especially when you are using social media. This goes for both your personal and business accounts. If you use social media for business, it’s best to train all your employees in online attack prevention.

We have prepared a 10-question quiz that you can answer just to see how prepared you are to face social engineering scams or attacks. If you feel there is room for improvement, give us a call and we can step in anytime to boost your defence and increase your protection against online threats.

What Is Social Engineering and How Can It Affect Your Business?

social engineering
Cybersecurity, Phishing, Security, Technology, , , , , , ,

Terms like phishing and malware have become very common terms these days because of their widespread use online. Did you know that these activities are but a small part of a much bigger operation known as social engineering?

Definition of Social Engineering

The term might be new but the practice has been going on for centuries. It’s the infiltration of something secure, intending to acquire information or secure access through cunning means. With the use of modern technology, social engineering is now possible with the victims not even knowing. If you are caught unprepared, as a result, this could potentially lead to the downfall of your business.

External Threats in Social Engineering

Businesses these days rely heavily on technology across all operations and as a result, it makes our life easier. This gives social engineers vast opportunities to trick people into providing all sorts of information, such as the following.

Phishing

Phishing is by far the most prevalent form of social engineering attack. It is a very straightforward kind of trickery, and that simplicity is also the reason why it is so effective. Through an authentic-looking email, the hacker would take victims to websites that look real and ask them to log in, which many people would do without a second glance. Just like that, you would just as well be giving the hackers the keys to your network.

Spear Phishing

This kind of social engineering attack is a highly targeted version of phishing. It is directed at specific victims and involves a great deal of preparation, making use of contacts and references very familiar to the targeted victim, making the scam almost imperceptible.

Baiting

Just as the term suggests, this strategy is all about enticing the victim to fall for the bait. There are many approaches to this, like telling them they won something then asking to click on a link to claim the prize, or letting them know that their computer has been infected and again, getting them to click on a link that will supposedly fix the problem.

Internal Threats in Social Engineering

Once a hacker is in the system, there are countless ways that they can steal information or wreak havoc on your business. So getting their foot in the door is of the utmost priority for many of these devious social engineers.

Doing this physically is not as difficult as it might seem. One of the commonly used methods is tailgating or entering the premises on the pretense that they are an authorized entity. Many hackers also take advantage of what they can glean from public information, which is surprisingly a lot, especially if they have the patience to do a regular observation of the target area, or are willing to go dumpster diving.

How to Keep Your Business Safe from Social Engineering Threats

It’s quite scary to think that many use social engineering tactics today, but with awareness and the presence of mind, you can easily avoid becoming a victim. Simple practices like refraining from opening suspicious-looking emails and attachments would be very helpful. It is also advisable to implement multifactor authentication in all your systems and to keep your antivirus software updated.

In conclusion, as a business owner, it would be in your best interest to have all employees undergo training that will equip them with the tools and skills needed to circumvent any social engineering attack. You can find out just how much your staff knows about social engineering and other online threats by having them take this free cybersecurity quiz.

We can help bolster your company’s defenses against online threats of all kinds. From training your employees to updating your network, we can cover for you. Just let us know when you are ready and we will be happy to be of service!

Quiz Time: Can You Handle Social Media Phishing Attacks at work?

Social Media Phishing
Anti-virus, Cybersecurity, Malware, Phishing, Security, , , , , ,

Our last three blogs have discussed cybersecurity threats and how they affect a business. We have talked about the dangers that stem from various types of malware. We have warned you about the newest cybersecurity risks expected to wreak havoc on businesses soon. And in the face of the ongoing growing acceptance of remote work setups, we have delved into the threats related to working from home. Now, we will now talk about social media phishing.

The common thing in all these topics is that they are all linked to phishing. A strong phishing attack can make a network open to the online threats that we have talked about. Thus, you and your employees must know how to handle social media phishing attacks at work. To find out just how prepared your staff is to circumvent phishing attacks on social media, you can have them take the following quiz.

A Brief Quiz on Social Media Phishing

Here are ten statements that have to do with phishing in social media. Read each one carefully and decide whether it is TRUE or FALSE.

  1. It’s safe to click on social media links and messages at work.
  2. A lot of phishing attacks use publicly available information.
  3. Social media phishing attacks target only individuals, not organizations.
  4. A cybersecurity risk assessment reveals the weak areas in your company’s security strategy.
  5. A ransomware attack occurs once every 40 seconds.
  6. Hackers have a lower chance of attacking smaller businesses.
  7. Malware and virus protection is more important than employee cybersecurity training.
  8. Cybersecurity insurance can save your business.
  9. Two-factor authentication is better for account logins.
  10. Working from home and working from the office are equally safe.

Quiz Answers

  1. False – Even if your company has a reliable cybersecurity system in place, it’s never 100% certain and could be a social media phishing scam. Always be conscious and vigilant if you want your data and network to stay secure.
  2. True – Most of the time, hackers use information already available to the public. We should be careful in revealing information, even if it seems harmless. Hackers might use anything that is made public as a tool for attacking your important files.
  3. False – Social media phishing attacks used to target individuals, but the hackers that use this method have now levelled up and are also targeting organizations, even big companies.
  4. True – You don’t have to wait for an actual phishing attack to gauge the strength or weakness of your defenses. An MSP can give you a thorough risk assessment to identify the weak spots you need to work on.
  5. True – Ransomware attacks are much more frequent than people realize. Most businesses are on a hacker’s hit list, but they have not launched an attack yet.
  6. False – Smaller businesses are at a greater risk because they often have weaker defenses against online threats,
  7. False – Both are very important and go hand-in-hand with an effective cybersecurity strategy.
  8. True – Some business owners forego getting cybersecurity insurance, thinking it is unnecessary and expensive. But if you fall victim to a security breach, it can cost you upwards of $50,000, and cyber insurance can help cover such amounts.
  9. True – Two-factor authentication is much harder for hackers to penetrate than single-step login, making it more secure.
  10. False – While there are plenty of things we can do to make working from home safer, it is still not nearly as secure as working from the office, where software updates and router upgrades are easily done.

Evaluating the Results

Did you get a 10? If so, you have the knowledge and skills to deal with any online attack! Warding off phishing attacks on social media will be a cinch!

A lower score means you need more training, which is something the company can do. As a comprehensive managed services provider, we have a highly competent cybersecurity team that can train your entire staff and prepare your company to face cybersecurity risks. Contact us today to learn more!

If you want to be more thorough with testing your Phishing knowledge, we have another quiz for you to take! After taking your quizzes, if you need to learn more about cybersecurity please watch our cybersecurity webinar, so you can better protect yourself and your business!