Don’t Let Cybercriminals Take Advantage Of You During The COVID-19 Pandemic
As businesses scramble to get their employees working remotely and maintain business continuity, they’re likely to compromise their security and become prime targets for cybercriminals. Do you know what type of scams to look out for during the coronavirus pandemic?
This global COVID-19 pandemic has forced a majority of businesses to send employees home to limit the spread of the virus. Unfortunately, when companies start prioritizing remote access to data over the security of that data, they make an easy target for hackers.
Consider this - at the office. Everything is protected by the same set of cybersecurity solutions - firewalls, antivirus software, etc. These are defenses that you've invested in and can trust. That’s likely not the case for your employees’ home networks and personal devices.
Cybercriminals are expected to take advantage of the confusion and lack of awareness that comes with changing the way a majority of the professional world gets their work done. Do you know how to keep your employees, and your business as a whole, secure?
Check out our latest video to learn more:
Top 3 Cybercrime Scams You Need To Be Aware Of
The most crucial point to understand at this time is that you can’t take emails at face value. If you or an employee receives one of the following types of messages, don’t trust it:
Emails That Offer A Cure: There is currently no vaccine for coronavirus, and there certainly isn’t any type of miracle cure either. If someone emails you about a miracle cure, don’t engage. Don’t download anything from the email, and don’t click any links. They’ll likely just infect your systems with malware.
Emails That Request A Wire Transfer: Just like before coronavirus hit, you shouldn’t engage with anyone that makes a wire transfer request over email. Always confirm these transfers with superiors and recipients via phone.
Emails That Request A Password: Please note that tech industry giants like Microsoft and Google aren’t going to call you to ask for your password. This is a common scam, carried out by cybercriminals to break into your accounts and steal information.
How To Manage Your Business’ Remote Cybersecurity During The COVID-19 Pandemic
Keep the following tips in mind:
Confirm All Payments Directly: Don’t let the fact that you can’t meet in person to verify significant financial transactions stop you from doing your due diligence. Make sure to confirm over the phone with the contact. Never execute a wire transfer based on an email request alone - it could very well be a cybercriminal posing as a business contact or third party organization.
Train Your Employees: Now more than ever, your employees need to know how to spot social engineering scams that are all about the element of surprise. Case in point: phishing, a method in which cybercriminals send fraudulent emails that appear to be from reputable sources to get recipients to reveal sensitive information and execute significant financial transfers.
Deploy A VPN: When you use a virtual private network (VPN), your data is encrypted, or hidden, as it moves from your device to the VPN and then continues onto the Internet. That makes it harder for an attacker to identify you as the source of the data – no matter whether you’re on your mobile device’s data connection, or using an unsecured retail Wi-Fi network while you’re in line for coffee.
Keep Home Systems Up To Date: Did you know that one of the most common ways that cybercriminals get into a network is through loopholes in popular software? Much of the software you rely on to get work done every day could have flaws -- or "exploits" -- that leave you vulnerable to security breaches. To address this, developers regularly release software patches and updates to fix those flaws and protect users. This is why you must keep your applications and systems up to date.
If you need help securing up your remote work solutions, don’t assume you have to handle it on your own. On Time Tech can assist - we will help you map out a cybersecurity strategy to protect your business during the pandemic.
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