One of the ways a managed IT services provider can thwart hackers is to train clients on how to avoid fraudulent websites and email phishing schemes.
The more employees are educated on cyber security, the less chance you’ll deal with an attack, as a high percentage of hacks relate to employee error. 86% of attacks on businesses are financially motivated. Here are ways employees can guard against clicking malicious links with the help of an Orlando managed IT services provider:
SPOTTING FAKE EMAIL
One of the oldest tricks that hackers continue to use due to lack of employee training is the phishing scam, which involves posing as a more familiar brand. The imposter typically uses an email address that is similar to a popular domain but may be one character off. The main way to spot this type of fraud is to check the sender’s email address carefully, especially if they request that you do something suspicious, such as click an unexpected attachment. If you’re asked to click something in an email or sign into an account, it’s best to go directly to the site and sign in.
AVOIDING FAKE OR INFECTED WEBSITES
Cybercriminals and spammers have bought domains that are similar to popular brands but might be one letter off or contain a dash. They might also use an alternative extension, such as .net or .org. A managed IT services provider can spot fake websites by studying the URL. They can tell if a site is safe for transactions by making sure it connects with the https protocol, which is more secure than http. They can then put suspicious sites on a blacklist.
HOW TO VERIFY SITES
If you come across a website that seems suspicious, run a Google search on the URL to see what type of reviews come up. Google also has a “transparency report” page that allows you to get information on security and privacy reports related to a website. You can find out whether or not it’s a high or low traffic site through Alexa or SEMrush. ScamAdviser is a tool that rates a site’s trust level between 1 and 100. Sites that attract too many negative reviews get low ratings. WhoIs Database is a key source to check on the origin of a website.
All it takes is one hacker to get access to private information to start building a profile on an attack victim. The more the hacker learns about inside information, the more they can exploit an organization, such as selling secret data to other criminals. An experienced managed IT services provider can implement strategies to block nefarious websites and email. Contact us now at ION247 to learn more about protecting your data from cybercriminals.
*Blog post updated June 2020.