Successful phishing attacks can damage your business’s finances, production, and reputation. This form of swindling has increased as email has become one of the more known methods of communication and should be taken seriously. It’s important to understand how to identify a phishing email in order to protect your business from potential security breaches or data leaks.

What is Email Phishing?

A phishing email–also known as malicious emails or scam emails– is an email sent from what appears to be a trusted source with the objective of making the recipient perform a certain task. This can be in the form of providing specific personal information or clicking a link that requires financial information.

According to Cisco’s 2021 Cybersecurity Threat Trends report, 90% of data breaches occur because of phishing. The 2021 Internet Crime Report revealed California, as one of the top states for internet crime, with more than 67,000 victims. Out of those victims, 2,942 experienced phishing attacks.

One of the reasons why hackers succeed with scam emails is their emotional tactics. They make the emails seem genuine by using your name or asking you to act immediately. Addressing you directly makes the email seem more legitimate and you are more likely to respond.

How to Identify a Phishing Email

Every business is subject to email phishing, and determining the difference between a legitimate email and a scam email can be difficult.

However, there are ways to prevent yourself from becoming a victim. You may not have an in-house IT team to monitor your emails. Consider ABI’s managed IT services to help you handle your email needs so you can focus on what matters most: your business and your client.

Here’s an example of how we help identify a phishing email.

1. Name of Sender – Even though the sender’s email address may have the name of the company in it, always check. Copy and paste the sender’s email address into your inbox if you are still unsure. If you have not received emails from that sender before, that is a red flag.
2. Typos / Grammar Mistakes – It’s also important to check for typos or grammatical errors in the email. This email has no official subject header and uses the body of the email as the subject.
3. Asking for Sensitive Information – This phishing email asked for important login credentials by noting a low memory alert. They paired this with noting that emails were placed on hold until they logged in. If given, the hacker would have access to other organizational information.
4. Suspicious Attachments – Phishing attacks rely on the recipient’s actions. It’s important not to click any links or attachments in the email. These links –also known as phishing links–can also be a way for the hacker to download malware or ransomware to your computer leading to a potential ransomware attack.

Tools to Help Spot Phishing Emails

No matter your business industry, from accounting firm, to law firm, or any small business, ABI wants you to stay up, stay running, and protected. This means staying protected from email phishing that can lead to malware, data corruption, and even security breaches.

Get Email Virus, Scan, and Phishing Protection Today

ABI offers the best defense against email spam for businesses in Canoga Park and the San Fernando Valley. Our managed email security services monitor email scanning software and manage updates to keep a clean inbox and a secure network for your business.

Our IT services not only provide email phishing protection but also include:

• Managed IT Services
• Backup & Recovery
• Cloud Solutions
• Microsoft 365
• Email Spam, Phishing & Virus Protection
• Network Support
• Work from Home Solutions for Employees
• Network & Cybersecurity
• Data Center
• Business Phone Systems
• Business Security Cameras

ABI has provided quality and effective solutions for IT support in Canoga Park and the San Fernando Valley for 20+ years. Ready to handle email phishing once and for all? Schedule a free consultation with ABI today.

The post Protect Your Business With These Email Phishing Safety Tips appeared first on Advanced Business Innovations, Inc..

The growth and expansion of organizations and technology continues to move at a rapid pace. Unfortunately, with that growth, comes an increased need for enterprise-level security solutions. Multifactor authentication serves as one of the safeguard against the detrimental results of a breach of an organization’s confidential information, including the personal details of both employees and customers.

What Is Multifactor Authentication?

Multifactor authentication, or MFA is a security feature that requires an individual to provide two or more forms of identity verification to gain access to an account, usually after providing a username and password. It is most helpful in instances when a user’s password is not strong, which happens often. Despite warnings and sometimes even a system notification upon creating an account that a password is weak, users still opt to choose passwords that they can easily remember. This is usually the same password that they use for multiple accounts or one that is just too easy to decode and become compromised. Even if a password is breached in a cyber attack, getting past the MFA will pose an additional challenge making it a vital component of your business’ cyber security strategy.

There are many options when it comes to MFA including inherence factors like face, fingerprint and iris recognition, and knowledge factors which can be a password, a pin, or providing a saved personal detail that only the user would know. Other options are possession factors, like a one time password or pin sent to a user’s cell phone, or the CVV number from the user’s credit or debit card, and location factors which includes using GPS to verify a user’s location. Each one adds an additional layer of security and protects confidential information. Additionally, MFA offers the convenience and safety of the ability to use a single sign on solution (SSO), one name and password to access everything. MFA is the protective barrier for this streamlined approach to ease and security.

Why is Multifactor Authentication Vital?

According to Verizon’s 2021 Data Breach and Investigations Report¹, 85% of breaches involved the human element. In other words, a simple mistake such as a weak password can have dire consequences for an organization. One cyber attack can compromise the confidential information of both staff and customers. This can include credit card and bank account details, business techniques and plans, health records, and even identities, resulting in a huge financial loss for all. MFA is one of the best preventative measures. It is essential to organizational risk reduction.

Implementing Multifactor Authentication

ABI can help you implement a multifactor authentication system (MFA) to secure and protect your team from the threat and execution of a cyber attack. Our team will work directly with your organization to stress the importance of choosing strong passwords and provide education that explains the potential outcomes of a breach. We will also implement requirements to ensure that stronger passwords are chosen, and we will add single sign on solutions with multifactor authentication to your company wide sign on process. Avoid the expense of a breach or attack with increased security and efficiency through implementing MFA.

¹https://www.verizon.com/business/resources/reports/dbir/

The post Secure Your Business Data with Multi-factor Authentication appeared first on Advanced Business Innovations, Inc..

A fully executed ransomware attack can feel like an ambush by an unrelenting opponent. It wreaks havoc on your peaceful daily business routines. This adversary is elusive, skilled in the art of cyber war, winning by consistently conceiving innovative ways to infiltrate your systems and bombard your proprietary data.

Ransomware attacks have been increasing steadily since 2020¹. Targeted attacks aimed to extort businesses makes this increase of great concern since companies today are data driven and fully dependent upon technology. A substantial local, national, and in some cases, even global online presence is critical to innovation and staying on the cutting-edge of one’s field. Additionally, the increase in employees working from home away from a protected office network can exacerbate company vulnerability. Small to medium sized businesses can lose, on average, $24 -$50K per year per year from cyberattacks². Network security is essential for business continuity and success.

Most organizations are not adequately prepared to prevent ransomware or to quickly address the ramifications of a cyberattack once it has begun. Unfortunately, some companies are highly susceptible to a full-fledged network intrusion. The question is not if, but when your organization will become a target. It is imperative that your company is proactive in incorporating bulletproof cyberattack protection and network intrusion prevention that integrates the following:

• Consistent, Timely Updates
• Encryption and Data Backup
• Strong Passwords & Authentication
• URL Validation
• Firewall Security
• Blocking Unsecured Websites
• Frequent System Tests
• Employee Education (suspicious email etiquette, verification of email requests, how to recognize a secure v/s unsecured site, and more)
• Cyber Security Insurance
• Network Intrusion Detection
• Restricted Network Administrative Rights
• Robust Anti-Malware and Firewall Software

ABI can provide solutions that secure and protect your team and your systems from the threat and execution of a cyberattack. Through consistent, effective maintenance, we save you the expense of an attack through detection, repair, and prevention with increased security and efficiency.

¹https://usa.kaspersky.com/about/press-releases/2021_kaspersky-finds-ransomware-attacks-on-high-profile-victims-grows-nearly-eightfold
²https://pchtechnologies.com/cost-of-cyber-attacks-vs-cost-of-cyber-security-in-2021/

The post Protecting Your Business Against Cyberattacks with Network Security appeared first on Advanced Business Innovations, Inc..