On Tuesday I had the privilege of introducing FBI Special Agent A.J. Gillman at The Greater Brandon Chamber of Commerce monthly Synergy Luncheon. I asked Agent Gillman to speak at the Chamber because I am so concerned for small businesses. So many of us that run small businesses are so focused on our product or service that we forget how incredibly valuable continuing education is- not just in the area of our product or service, but also on the tools we use every day. We all get busy and forget to place an emphasis on cyber security until there's already a problem. I continue to see terrible and preventable harm being done to local businesses, that cost an incredibly (sometimes ruinous) amount of time and money to correct.
For example, a local healthcare professional recently had their e-mail intruded upon, triggering a costly and disruptive forensics investigation.Yes. Forensics. Because of a casual email.
Or how about a local business that fell for a trap and wired a large (5-figure) sum of money to scammers? These aren't people that are stupid or naive. These are folks that are busy, like all small business owners. And when we're busy, we're often not paying attention to the details, which is what scammers are counting on.
Agent Gillman pointed out how e-mail continues to be the most exploited AND successful attack vector that cyber thieves used. Sadly, in both examples above, e-mail was the root cause. How many emails do you receive a day? How many get a ten-second reply without much thought?
The good news is, you can do something about it. You must be aware of what these attacks look like and you must be extra curious. Take advantage of our free weekly tips at www.datacorps.com/weeklytip. I know it seems silly that a weekly e-mail tip could keep you safe, but having this regular awareness will keep you in the state of mind that questions every e-mail you receive. This little bit of extra curiosity could save your business!
