Cyber security is a game of cat and mouse. Attackers find endless ways to infiltrate companies of all sizes and industries for monetary gain. At the same time, companies and IT services are implementing tools and procedures to mitigate the risk of attacks. The key for IT and security professionals is to constantly be evaluating evolving tools, policies and procedures.
As the pandemic impacts the entire world, attackers have not hesitated to take advantage of the difficult times. Reports indicate:
- Phishing attacks increased over 667% in March 2020 – KnowBe4
- Spam increase of over 6,000%, targeted at SMBs impersonating WHO officials and US Small Business Administration (SBA) – ZDNet
- FBI reports that methods include: fraudulent internet domains, fraudulent COVID charities, extortion campaigns to entice recipients to click on links, triggering malware – ZDNet
Despite the recent spike in attacks, these social engineering tactics (phishing attacks, impersonations) are common methods to breach a network. Luckily, there are a series of steps to minimize risk. We can categorize them into tools, training and optimization.
Tools: Email and web security tools identify, block and notify of phishing and social engineering attacks.
Training: Educating employees how to identify and handle phishing attacks can greatly minimize successful attacks.
Optimization: Continually evaluating the policies and procedures of the tools and trainings that align with tactics will keep organizations proactive against attacks.
So, what should you do? Evaluate your current approach to each of those categories. Consider if teaming up with a managed service provider is more beneficial than utilizing internal resources.
BriteStar For Proactive Protection + New Features (!!)
Our managed service offering, BriteStar, allows for proactive prevention of attacks with a carefully chosen suite of tools managed by our expert team that align with industry best practices.
We’re excited to announce that we’ve recently added new tools to further increase protections against phishing attacks by improving email security, web security and user training.
Web Filtering Solution: Provide safe browsing for endpoint (on/off the corporate network). Protect against ransomware, malware and phishing attempts with HTTP, HTTPS and DNS filtering.
Data Security: Get alerts to unauthorized and abnormal access on files shares, Office 365 event and domain security events. In other words, control and regulate who has access to sensitive business data. The insight allows for monitoring of the activity around data to detect and respond to threats in a timely manner.
User Awareness: End-user training is paramount in combatting phishing attacks. Take a hands-on approach in educating employees on how to recognize and report phishing attempts. Ditch the multi-hour training sessions for real-world simulations with actionable reports to improve on.
The new tool additions, alongside Brite’s expert management, add more protection for BriteStar clients, maximizing protection against evolving threats and attacks. Are you ready to take control away from attackers with a proactive approach?