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SACRAMENTO, CA. — Sacramento-based TLC Tech reminds us to watch out for tricky cyberattacks as we finish out 2020. The COVID-19 crisis has created a boom in criminal activity online and hackers continue to innovate their methods of stealing personal data.
Many of us are aware to watch for fishy emails and links that don’t look quite right. For years, cyber crooks have used a method called phishing to lure Internet users into a site that will steal their credentials and give unwarranted access to their network.
Over 114,000 reports of phishing were filed in the U.S. with our Internet Crime Complaint Center last year.
Experts in the industry believe that only a small percentage of incidents are reported, so the number of actual attacks is likely much higher.
But phishing has now evolved into three more methods that exploit the technologies we use every day: voicemail and text messaging. And an additional new attack method doesn’t even require us to click a link or open a questionable email.
As TLC Tech tells us: now is the time to get serious about cybersecurity. Don’t let your employees compromise your company’s important data by falling victim to these types of attacks.
Along with educating your team about phishing, you should also educate about the latest iterations: vishing, smishing and pharming.
Vishing is a type of invasion that tries to trick targets into giving up sensitive information over the phone. While it may sound like an old-fashioned scam, vishing attacks have high-tech elements: they use automated voice simulation technology, for instance, or the scammer may use personal information about the victim harvested from earlier cyberattacks to sound more legitimate.
Smishing is phishing through SMS text messaging. The goal of smishing is to scam or otherwise manipulate consumers or an organization’s employees in order to gain access to work applications, accounts or other sensitive data. Users click on a link in their text messages instead of their emails and cybercriminals gain access from there.
Pharming has also been called phishing without a lure. First, cybercriminals install malicious code on your computer or server then the code sends users to a counterfeit website, where they may be asked to provide personal information. Computer pharming doesn’t demand that initial click to take you to a fraudulent website. Instead, you’re diverted there automatically.
Defending yourself against cyberthreats requires investments in layers of security programs and education to protect against the “human element.”
TLC Tech provides cybersecurity assessments to help businesses understand where they may be vulnerable. They also provide proactive security services and monitoring, along with a full suite of comprehensive IT services.
TLC Tech is dedicated to helping local companies run smoothly and efficiently with improved IT solutions. Whether it’s migrating to the cloud, improving day-to-day productivity and work efficiencies, or protecting your network and data with better security, they provide customized service for their clients.
Visit their website at www.tlctech.com or give them a call today at 916-441-3838.
