We’ve discussed the dangers of malware and viruses many times on our blog and in person with clients. Usually when we’re talking to companies who IT outsource with us, we end up in a deep discussion about social engineering which is the big umbrella that covers things like phishing and malware. Few of the companies who IT outsource with us truly understand how big a problem the external threats to their network are. Today’s blog should help you see why this is a big issue and why we offer many of the services we offer. Most of the threats come to your network from one of the following methods.
Spear Phishing and Phishing
The goal of both is to gain access to your personal information. Generally, an email arrives and you are instructed to follow a link that looks legitimate but is slightly off. It’s designed to fool the eye (after all, we see what we want to see so much of the time). You enter your information and you’ve unwittingly given a hacker access to your business or personal information. The difference with spear phishing is that the message is tailored to you and copied to your coworkers so it looks even more legitimate. It’s also often just an instruction to click on a link for an update or encrypted company information. When anyone on your network clicks on the link, everyone becomes infected with malware.
Internal Access
Not all malware or viruses come from an external link or download. Sometimes your staff, visitors or even a former employee do the damage while in the office. Sometimes it’s intentional and other times it is not. Remember our blog about a guest network? This is one of the reasons we highly recommend a separate network for guests. Someone logging onto your network who already has something on their PC can infect your network without even knowing it.
On the other side of things, a phone call is sometimes all it takes for your company to become a victim. We hear about it all the time where someone claims to be an official of some sort and the person called gives them information that compromises their bank accounts. In a business setting it may be something like an irate customer making threats can asking for what appears to be unimportant information but because they’ve already gathered other bits from other sources, that little information allows them access they need to do whatever nefarious things they want to do.
Prevention
Those with bad intentions will continue to try to get your information. Having a secure network with a firewall and anti-virus is a good start. Teaching your staff to be wary of suspicious links and information is a good second step. However, most companies who IT outsource with Toucan Technology Group also have their data backed up. This means that if the worst happens, we have a clean copy of their data and can restore it after the threat is removed. If you’re wondering about the security of your network and company’s data, call Toucan Technology Group. We’ll help you understand your vulnerabilities and propose services to keep your valuable company data safe from hackers and other threats. Call (317) 376-4874 or fill out our contact form today.
