By: The Capella University Editorial Team with Dr. Barker, Capella University, School of Business, Technology and Health Care Administration
Reading Time: 3 minutes
Cybersecurity threats against businesses are nothing new.
We’ve known about phishing scams for years. We’re wary about opening email attachments from people we don’t know. We’ve got this, right?
Wrong.
“Today’s attackers aren’t reckless, they are calculated. They study our defenses, adapt to them and wait for the moment we let our guard down,” explains Dr. Barker, Capella University, School of Business, Technology and Health Care Administration. “Cybercriminals evolve with every countermeasure that is deployed, and the real threat isn’t their persistence, it is our belief that the battle is over.”
What worked in the past to prevent hackers from infiltrating our technology is no longer sufficient, and employees themselves can be the weak link. A lack of awareness and vigilance is often an organization’s greatest vulnerability.
Most of us expect that the devices provided by our employers are equipped with antivirus software and other technologies to prevent hackers from getting in. But did you know that the personal smartphone in your pocket is likely completely unprotected? When a smartphone is purchased, it typically does not come out of the box with antivirus software.
Now ask yourself, do you ever use your personal smartphone for work? Answer an email? Text your boss? That is a significant vulnerability.
“We rely on our smartphones for work more than ever, yet we rarely secure them like the critical devices they have become,” says Dr. Barker. “Everyone using a phone for business should install mobile security software. Many highly capable options like McAfee, AVG and Malwarebytes are free and easy to set up.”
Remember the good old days when you received a suspicious email from someone you didn’t know with a weird attachment and you would instinctively delete it because of the obvious threat? Alas, it’s not so clear cut anymore. Today, hackers are adept at hacking into the email accounts of people that we know well to impersonate them in email correspondence. Now what do we do?
“We used to warn people simply not to open attachments from unfamiliar senders. That guidance is no longer enough. Today’s attackers imitate colleagues, mimic writing styles, and craft emails that look completely legitimate.” Dr. Barker explains. “Now the real question is: Was I actually expecting this file? Even if it appears to come from someone you know, if anything feels unusual, verify through a separate message or phone call. And remember, today criminals often create email addresses that look nearly identical to those of coworkers or supervisors, so always double-check who the message is truly from and what it contains.”
And it’s not just email. Social media also presents a significant threat from hackers pretending to be people we know and trust. According to Dr. Barker, the speed at which we all use social media makes the danger even more real.
“When we quickly scroll through social feeds and spot an eye-catching post from a friend, that moment is when we are most at risk. Individuals tend to click without thinking and that is precisely where the danger is,” Dr. Barker says. “Pause and ask yourself, ‘Does this sound like something they’d normally share? Is this out of character?’ If anything feels unusual, do not open it. We have to slow down on social platforms and approach every post with a critical, skeptical mindset.
Cybercriminals are smart. Like most criminals, they are strategic and often target opportunities that offer the greatest reward. Sometimes that big prize is data, like millions of Social Security numbers or some particularly valuable piece of proprietary information. But sometimes, the goal is hacking into the accounts of top executives, whose knowledge and influence make them valuable targets for cybercriminals. Unfortunately, many executives feel they would never fall for a hacker’s schemes, or they are overly confident in the protection provided by their information security infrastructure. That’s a dangerous way to think.
“Many CEOs and senior leaders assume they’re too experienced to fall for an attack, or that their position somehow shields them,” Dr. Barker says. “Hackers specifically target high level executives – that is the origin of terms like spear phishing and whaling. If you advise the C-suite or sit in it, understand that you are the prime target. You are in the crosshairs, and heightened vigilance is not optional, it is an essential requirement for the position.”
This just scratches the surface of the cyberthreats we all face and how we can combat them. For more information and tips on how to protect yourself and your organization, visit Nist.gov, CISecurity.org, or DHS.gov.
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