All posts by SystemsNet Administrator

Where Does Social Engineering Scams Come from?

Social Engineering scams

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

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: How Well Do You Understand the Role of Backup Disaster Recovery?

Disaster Recovery

In recent weeks, we have talked a lot about backup disaster recovery and how important it is when running a business. We have discussed what a business owner needs to form a solid recovery strategy. We’ve also listed some terrible things that can happen if you don’t protect your business with a good plan for dealing with disasters.

It troubles us that many business owners do not fully understand backup disaster recovery and do not take it seriously. If you want to check your comprehension of this process, you can take this simple quiz we have prepared. It is very informative and reveals important facts about disaster recovery.

A Brief Quiz on Backup Disaster Recovery

The following are ten statements that have to do with backup disaster recovery. Read each one carefully and establish whether the statement is TRUE or FALSE.

  1. Cyberattacks are no longer as frequent as in previous years, so having a disaster recovery plan for your business data is not important anymore.
  2. Backup and recovery involve making copies of data and storing them in a safe place where they can be accessed and restored if needed.
  3. Cloud-based data backup is completely and permanently safe.
  4. Hiring a professional to back up your data and doing it yourself are equally reliable.
  5. You can only lose your data if a hacker infiltrates your system.
  6. Hackers can create a data breach through phishing attacks.
  7. There is no connection between being hacked and having weak passwords.
  8. Regularly updated cybersecurity software will protect you from phishing attacks.
  9. Data encryption is an effective way to protect your data from hackers.
  10. Implementing multi-factor authentication for all employees can be expensive for your company.

Quiz Answers

  1. FALSE.

Quite the contrary, cyberattacks are even more prevalent today than ever. There are also many new kinds of attacks that were unheard of as hackers have become more creative as we improve our disaster recovery plan.

  1. TRUE.

Data can be duplicated and stored in as many locations as you want. Usually, there is at least one on-site and one off-site location. Frequent backups are recommended.

  1. FALSE.

It’s safer than a few other types of storage, but cloud backups are still not 100% guaranteed to be safe, especially now that a rising number of cyberattacks are targeting the cloud.

  1. FALSE.

A professionally managed service provider can do so much more to protect and back up your data than you can do on your own for disaster recovery. This protection includes 24/7 monitoring and full restoration in case of a disaster.

  1. FALSE.

There are many ways of losing data. It could be through an online attack, human error, electronic failures, natural disasters, and many more.

  1. TRUE.

Phishing is now a common way for hackers to steal data, and it is also used to break into networks and encrypt data.

  1. FALSE.

According to surveys, approximately 80% of data breaches can be traced to weak passwords and are not recommended when having a disaster recovery plan.

  1. FALSE.

It is necessary to update your cybersecurity software. Unfortunately, this does not ward off phishing attacks. For protection from these scams, employee training and education are the best forms of protection.

  1. TRUE.

Data encryption is one of the most trusted methods of protection. A managed service provider can easily do this for you and keep your confidential information safe.

  1. FALSE.

Multi-factor authentication is one of the cheapest ways for business owners to protect their data and have disaster rcovery, but they don’t spend enough on it.

Evaluating the Results

As we said, there are a lot of false notions about backup data recovery. So if you did not get a perfect score, don’t fret! The good news is that you are now more informed. We can also help you protect your business with a reliable backup and disaster recovery strategy that you can quickly and systematically roll out whenever necessary.

If this Quiz was harder than it looked, then maybe you should watch out Free Cybersecurity Webinar to brush-up on the latest cyber trends. If you have any questions about your data security, give us a call and let’s solve that problem. Finally if you enjoyed this quiz, we have a second Disaster Recovery Quiz for you to further your knowledge!

The Consequences of Not Having a Proper Disaster Recovery Plan

Disaster Recovery Plan

We have often talked about how having a disaster recovery plan is one of the most crucial elements of good business management. Despite our constant posts and reminders, however, there are still thousands of business owners all over the world that do not take disaster recovery seriously.

Most businesses take precautions to protect other aspects of their business—car insurance, vendor contracts, and so on. But it’s scary that many people choose not to spend money on a good disaster recovery plan.

How will you handle a disaster that damages your data, equipment, or other resources? If you have prepared a business contingency plan for such events, you will have something to fall back on. There might be losses, but they will be minimal, and you will be able to restore everything soon enough.

If you don’t have a proper disaster recovery plan, you might not be able to continue with business operations. Here are some consequences you might face if you cannot prepare a suitable recovery plan for your business right from the beginning.

Disaster and Substantial Data Loss

Businesses rely on many kinds of data to operate properly. From marketing to sales to customer records, your company’s data plays a considerable role in day-to-day operations. If your data gets lost or damaged, your business can invariably collapse!

Even huge companies are not immune to the effects of data loss. Many people have had to spend millions of dollars just to get their data back after they lost it because of a cyberattack or a natural disaster.

Business Interruption

If a disaster hits your business and you don’t have the means to recover, your operations may come to a stop. You can’t work and earn money until your business is back on its feet. Without a proper disaster recovery plan, recovery can take a very long time!

Depending on the amount of damage, you will either need to rebuild your business or relocate. Either way, the process will be difficult if you don’t have a recovery plan.

Loss of Customers when not having a Disaster Recovery Plan

No matter how loyal some of your customers might be, it is unlikely that all of them will stick around if they see that your business has suffered from a disaster. Some may wait a while if they see you doing your best to recover and restore all lost information. They will take their business elsewhere if they discover you can’t fully recover.

What’s worse is that even if the disaster did not directly affect other clients, the news might spread quickly, and they might leave as well. New prospective clients might also think twice about entrusting their needs to you.

Huge Spending

Disaster recovery can be expensive, even with a plan, especially if you do not prepare for a disaster. Depending on the type of disaster, you may need to buy new hardware and re-encrypt any lost or damaged data. You are also losing a lot of money because you haven’t yet gotten back on your feet.

Disaster Recovery Plan: Final Thoughts

Research shows that 40% of businesses do not have a contingency plan in case of a disaster. These businesses will have a hard time getting their money back if something bad happens.

If you want to prepare your business for a disaster, we can help! Get in touch with us, and we will build a disaster recovery strategy to give your business the most comprehensive protection possible. Don’t forget that we can help you check if your office has exposed or stolen passwords or login info by running a Free Dark Web Scan. If you want to test your Backup Disaster Knowledge, take our BDR Quiz!