Hello everyone. First, I want to start off with exciting news! I am excited to say that we continue to grow and are still hiring for System Administrators and Business Development Coordinators. If you know of anyone that fits the bill, tell them to give us a shout. Also, we have opened a new location at 13785 Research Blvd. in North Austin.
“Phishing” attacks have been on the rise as of late. If you do not know what phishing is, phishing is the act of defrauding someone online by posing as a legitimate company or person.
Symantec has shown a marked growth in phishing attempts:
- Spam emails increased by 53% in 2016
- In 2016, one in every 131 emails contained malware
- Fake invoice messages were the #1 type of phishing lure
- More than 400 businesses are targeted by scams every day
- During the 2016 presidential election, spearphishing emails were sent to members of the Democratic National Committee, allowing hackers to infiltrate personal accounts
- One in every 3000 phishing emails are directed at small to medium-sized businesses (company size ranging from 1-250 employees)
- The word “request” was the most popular keyword in the subject line of phishing emails
- 79% of organizations reported being victim of a phishing attack in 2016
- The construction industry saw one of the highest spam rates at 59%
- 90% of companies admitted that one or more employees have fallen for a phishing attack
All of that being said, how do you protect yourself against fishing attacks? Be very exact in all of your browsing. How? Type in the web address you are trying to go to in the address bar directly, try to avoid clicking links within emails when possible. When you are reading your email, if in doubt, do not click. Do not engage or download attachments that you are not expecting. Also, look for red flags. Misspellings and signs of urgency should always be considered red flags. If in doubt, simply pick up the phone and call the person. Verify what they sent you. If you are a business, always be extra cautious with link clicks and attachments from people from outside of your organization. I hope these tips help, with this problem back on the rise and with our society being in the information age, you can see how a couple of mis-steps can wreak havoc.
The Nerds are here to save you. If you need Computer repair or IT Support in Austin or in San Antonio, Call 877-250-8575 or you can book online by going to NerdsinaFlash.com and click the “Book Now” button in the upper right hand corner.
