Cybersecurity is something that can affect everyone in a company. The higher-ups in your business run the same risk of allowing hackers in as anyone else in the office. In fact, many hackers try to impersonate the C-level personnel through emails to get into the system and steal data.
Ransomware is a specific type of malware that is a common way to attack businesses. Once it gets into your computer network, it encrypts the files that are there. The perpetrator then contacts the company with a demand for ransom in exchange for getting the data back. It's common for ransomware users to ask for payment in Bitcoin or another quick way of transferring a large sum of money. These attacks cost companies big, and it's important to do everything you can to avoid it happening to yours. Many companies have paid the ransom because they are unable to do business without their files.
Pretexting happens when someone impersonates a person at your company who would be given access. It's often an employee who impersonates, but it can be a customer, a distributor, etc. The cybercriminals may impersonate one of the authority figures in your business or a maintenance person to gain access. A common way to do this is for someone to call a worker at the company and pretend to be from the IT department. Then the caller asks the worker to install a patch through a specific link. They may also say they need the worker's username and password in order to install a patch. Once they are inside, they can introduce malware.
This is perhaps the best known of the malware schemes. Often, if you look at an email closely, you can tell that it's a fake and not really from the company stated. However, some of these attacks have been getting more sophisticated lately. They may have an email that is well crafted and looks legitimate. If you aren't sure about an email, make sure you check the domain on the email address that sent it. Teach employees never to give out their credentials through email. They should also be told not to open attachments.
If your company needs better cybersecurity, contact us now to find out how we can help.