We’ve all heard the horror stories of major companies getting hacked, losing their money or even worse, compromising their clients’ data. Most people understand the importance of antivirus software to protect them from malware. But the problem is that as companies get smarter about protecting their IT, the people who create the scams are getting better at finding ways to uncover your login details.
You need to be aware of the ways hackers are getting hold of logins now so that you and your staff don’t fall prey to these scams and compromise your business.
1 - Fishy Phishing Emails
These are emails that are designed to get you to hand over your details. They find clever ways to make their emails appear as if they’re from trusted senders - like your internet provider, another business or even a government official. Once they draw you in and you believe you know who you’re talking to, they apply tactics to convince you to share personal information.
It may seem innocent at first, as they ask for your date of birth and surname to confirm you are you (a sneaky way to make you feel like you need to prove your identity!) Eventually, you’ll be asked to reveal more and more info, likely including your logins for important systems.
2 - Sneaky Social Media Posts
You might have seen posts like this before. The hackers use a page that appears to have plenty of followers, comments and likes. The post you see is usually an image with text challenging you to answer something that appears totally random. Posts like these include ‘tell us the name of your first pet’ or ‘try to type your birth date with your eyes closed in the comments below’.
You’ll often see thousands of people responding with their answers under the assumption that it’s an innocent game. But in reality, the things you’re sharing are the most common answers to security questions for banks and other websites you would log in to.
3 - Quizzes
Again, quizzes often appear on social media, on websites you visit or sent by email. The way these scam quizzes work is to entice you with an interesting quiz concept.
Once you click on the quiz to take it, you’re prompted to enter some information. This can seem normal enough, but be aware of what exactly you’re sharing. If a quiz is asking for your private details, last name, address, mother’s maiden name, first pet’s name or anything else specific to you, then it’s likely a scam.
4 - Viruses
There are two different types of viruses that allow hackers get ahold of your sensitive information, sometimes without you even realising until it’s too late. Viruses like these normally make their way onto your work or personal computers through suspicious downloads.
Keystroke software: This type of software silently watches and records your every keystroke on your keyboard. When you log in to your banking website or your work system, this software tracks what you typed in and sends the data back to the hackers, so that they now have your logins.
Remote access software: A particularly insidious one, this type of software can take remote access of your computer and watch, record and do anything on your device. This software can be useful for genuine IT companies, as it allows an IT expert to take control of a computer remotely and fix any problems that the user is having. But you need to be sure you can really trust the people you are giving this access to.
The first sign that someone is remotely accessing your computer is noticing your computer doing strange things such as turning on or off by itself, the camera light coming on, or your mouse cursor appearing to be moving on its own.
But if you don’t know or trust the person trying to install or operate this type of remote access program in the first place, don’t allow them to do it.
5 - Phone Call Scams
These can catch you when you least expect it. If you’re busy at work and you get a phone call from someone claiming that they are your internet provider and they need to check your network connection, you might believe them.
Once they have you convinced, they will ask for anything from internet passwords to your personal login information under the guise of a professional caller. Phone call scams are a particularly common way that hackers will try to attempt to install the types of virus software we mentioned above.
What’s The Solution?
The best solution to keep you safe from all of these scams is to have good security practices in place.
Use a password manager that can generate secure and un-guessable passwords. The most reliable password managers can also safely store your login information so that you don’t forget them.
Two-factor authentication involves using either a secondary email address or your mobile phone to generate a one-use code or confirmation screen to allow you to log in.
If someone tries to use your logins, you’ll receive a notification that someone is trying to gain access and you can immediately change your password.
Good Anti-virus software is an absolute must, and we can recommend the best software to keep you and your business safe.
Staff training is going to be the cherry on the top of your login security cake. Ensure your team knows what to look out for with online scams and hacking methods, as well as best practices for keeping their logins private.
Now that you know to look out for phishing emails, sneaky posts, suspicious quizzes and unreliable software and phone calls, you can start to take control of your login security. Using things like password managers and anti-virus software is a great start.
But if you want to see how we can help keep your business safe today, get in touch here.