Our Email Remains a Major Cybersecurity Vulnerability

This past week, we witnessed a major phishing attack via Google Docs. It spread quickly and affected over a million users in only a matter of hours. Investigators are still trying to determine the goal of the attack. While we don’t expect a major issue in the future as a result, this type of attack indicates a big problem. So many users readily clicked on the seemingly trustworthy link, despite constant warnings against that very thing. What kind of fall out could we see from future attacks with more nefarious intent?

Your business’ email is a private, organized space where you go to get work done, but what happens when the space is no longer private? You clicked on an unsecure attachment, or sent private information through an unencrypted email. You’ve been hacked. You’ve been trained to recognize emails that seem suspicious, the classic phishing email, but what about when a hacker spear phishes—targeting you by using your personal information to make an unsecure email or attachment seem safe to open?

Email is a widely used form of communication among businesses, making it a key target for hackers. How confident are you that you can prevent or deal with a breach in your company’s email security?

Transmitting data via unencrypted emails leaves the important information vulnerable. Private information, such as credit card numbers and social security numbers, should never be sent via an unencrypted email. But, many companies will not realize this until it is too late.

Hackers take time and money away from your growing business. They can also hurt your reputation by sending out messages under your business’ name. Many hackers exploit small businesses in order to reach the larger business with which they have a relationship. This threat can lessen the appeal of partnering with a small business. You’ve put in hours of hard work building your reputation and brand, and within minutes someone has taken up your identity and your business. It’s violating, it’s costly and it can happen.

Recovering lost information, if it is even possible to recover, takes time—time that your business does not have to spare—and money! The cost of recovering lost information can also be calamitous—37% of organizations reported breaches cost over $1,000,000 according to the 2016 Mimecast Business Email Threat Report.

Network security is a constantly evolving landscape. The major threats this year will be old news next year. Cybercriminals are developing new ways to attack all the time, and sometimes human error on behalf of your staff can make it too easy for them. If you’re concerned about your network security, and you should be, contact the network experts at Corporate Technologies Group. We can assess your network for vulnerabilities, recommend solutions, execute them, as well as monitor your network 24/7/365.

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