Your email inbox is currently the #1 vector for successful cybersecurity attacks right now. Every employee in your organization that has an email address compounds this problem. Despite the fact that email has nearly been synonymous with scams and cybersecurity threats for decades, the average person is still very likely to fall for a trap that can get them and their company in hot water.

It doesn’t matter how big or small your business is, whether you are a nationwide or global entity or a small local business in Baltimore or Bel Air; cybersecurity is a critical issue for your business. Cybercrime is a lucrative business, and the bad guys are doing a great job at making it extremely challenging to dodge their traps.

In this blog, we continuously try to caution individuals against clicking on suspicious links, but distinguishing between a genuine URL and a questionable one has become increasingly challenging. Malicious tactics have evolved, making it imperative for everyone to remain vigilant. These threats are pervasive, coming from various directions. This discussion will focus on a single punctuation mark that can help determine whether a link is genuinely safe or potentially perilous.

The year 2023 was a turning point for cybersecurity. With the rise of remote work and increased reliance on technology, cybercriminals took advantage of network vulnerabilities and launched a record number of attacks. As we move into 2024, it's crucial for businesses to assess their cybersecurity readiness and take proactive measures to protect their digital assets.

Scams are a scary prospect, and with today’s technology and current events being what they are, it’s all the more important that you remain aware of them so you can avoid them. With a whole year ahead of us, let’s consider some scams and scam-based trends that will likely continue throughout.

Small businesses, like any other entities, can be vulnerable to various computer scams. Scams can have an unsettling effect on how your business runs, as it always keeps doubt—even if you do everything you can to mitigate risks—to whether you are going to be the victim of a horrible Internet-based scam. Here's a list of common computer scams that small businesses should be aware of.

I recently engaged in a discussion with some of my colleagues about the intersection of cybersecurity and the scams that so many of us deal with every day, like those annoying phone scams. We wound up concluding that it's valuable to examine these phenomena together.

So, let’s do that.

Email is complex, despite all appearances. It’s easy to overlook its complexities when you log into your account and it just works. However, you’ll need to ensure that your email is managed properly, as well as secured with protective measures for the underlying technology. Let’s go over some of the more effective methods you can use to keep your infrastructure secure from all types of threats, whether they are visible or hidden.

Phishing attacks present a significant problem for the sustained stability of organizations. That is because they are a pervasive threat and come in several different forms. This month, we will outline some of the ways that phishing can affect an organization and a couple of things that you can do to keep them from being a problem.

It’s borderline impossible to conduct any business online without seeing potential threats abound. It also doesn’t help that threats tend to disguise themselves to avoid being detected. Today, we want to share a social media threat that one of our employees discovered while going about their day, and we think even a cautious user could have been fooled by it.

Viruses and malware are bad. Ransomware is crippling. Data breaches in some cases can more or less shut down a business. We talk about these threats all the time, but for most people, they are just scary-sounding buzzwords. Today, we want to talk about the more personalized threats that are much more cunning, and in some ways, much more dangerous.

Cybersecurity is a critical consideration for businesses to make, as it isn’t hyperbolic to say that a cyberthreat could potentially end a business. Trust me, as a business owner myself, I’m not thrilled about the reality of the situation, but it’s too important for us not to discuss.

Spam is annoying. It’s so annoying that the majority of us have just learned to accept it and tune it out. We all get physical junk mail that just gets tossed in the trash, we get bizarre text messages that we just automatically ignore, our phones ring with telemarketers and scammers. We’re so used to it, and most people feel so confident in their abilities to ignore it, that we don’t stop and ask ourselves, “Why the heck is spam still a thing?”

It’s because people DO fall for it. Spam works…and when it does, it can be devastating.

Phishing is the most widespread attack vector for modern day hackers. They are continuously evolving, getting more and more sophisticated, and therefore more dangerous. In this month’s newsletter, we are going to go through what makes a phishing attack and how to give your organization the best chance at keeping them from being a major problem for your business. 

As time goes on, businesses are doing more and more to protect their digital assets from theft and corruption. Whether that is deploying tools, providing training, or getting the support you need to successfully secure your business from the myriad of threats coming your way, you need to be deliberate about the way you go about deploying your security resources. Today, we want to touch on security training and the role it plays in your cybersecurity. 

Phishing attacks are one of the most common security threats to your business, not only because they are effective, but because they can be utilized in many different ways. You can become the victim of a phishing attack through email, instant message, phone, or even your voicemail. These “phoicemail” attacks are quite crafty in their approach, and you should be wary of them.

Most people have become pretty accustomed to hearing about the importance of cybersecurity when shopping online during the holidays—whether or not they heed the advice given from the experts is an entirely different story—but business owners and managers need to be aware of other threats that tend to peak during this time of year.

Are you tired of hearing about the importance of secure passwords, two-factor authentication, and security updates?

We get it. All of these techno-nerds (ourselves included) have spent all of October and even the weeks leading up to it talking about the importance of cybersecurity, preaching the importance of things that, let’s face it, just get in the way of you getting work done. Thank goodness Cybersecurity Month is long over, and now we can all get back to being absolutely reckless with our data, right?

It’s easy to focus on WHAT people should be doing to prevent themselves from becoming victims of cybercrime, but it’s just as easy to ignore the advice from experts while thinking “nah, that won’t really affect me.”

The thing is, you HAVE to be aware of these threats, and you have to take measures to protect yourself. We’re going to drop the dramatic language here, and focus on breaking the threats down so it’s easier to be more aware of them, and hopefully make it easier to navigate and circumvent a world that has a growing amount of cyber threats.

Financially-focused cyberthreats are no joke, especially considering how digital payments now make up 41.8% of all payments made worldwide. Let’s consider a few statistics that highlight how important it is to ensure that the payment card data your business collects is sufficiently protected.