Beware of Online Tax Scams

Hacking, Ophtek, Phishing, Phishing Email, Security, Security Threats, Tax Scams, , , ,
05
Jan 2021

Many of us will have started preparing our tax returns and hackers are well aware of this. Therefore, it pays to be aware of the numerous online tax scams.

Nobody likes completing tax returns due to the vast amount of data involved. However, they’re essential for organizations to remain operating. And that’s why we spend hours and hours collecting receipts and details for transactions; this is where all the data builds up. Hackers, of course, like nothing more than getting their hands on huge amounts of data. This data can be used for both financial gain and damaging an organization. Accordingly, tax season is their hunting season.

Tax Scams to Look Out For

Countless tax scams are currently circulating in the digital wild, but these are the most common ones you will encounter:

  • Automatic Tax Payment Deduction: A number of emails have been discovered which claim to originate from the Income Tax Department. These emails falsely claim, in order to generate anxiety, that a tax payment has automatically been deducted from their bank account. An attachment is included which masquerades as a receipt for this transaction. Hackers hope that the recipient’s anxiety and confusion will cause them to open this receipt. Unfortunately, contained within this ‘receipt’ is a slice of malware named W32.Golroted. 
  • Fake Government Websites: A popular method for scamming victims out of money is by designing Government websites which look authentic, but are fake. Using information which has usually been stolen through malicious files or social engineering, these fake websites inform victims that they have received a tax fine. The only way to pay this fine is by wiring payment or purchasing general purchase reloadable cards. However, there is no fine to pay and all the victim will be doing is bankrolling the hackers. 
  • IRS Tax Return is Locked: The last few years have seen the emergence of a phishing email which claims that access to the recipient’s tax return has been restricted. The email is designed to look as though it has been sent by the IRS or, sometimes, the manufactures of the popular TurboTax software. The truth is that the email is fake and has been sent by hackers. The email will urge recipients to click on a link which will take them to a malicious website where their personal information will be stolen.

Staying Safe During the Tax Season

Despite the number of online tax scams it’s easy to stay safe during the tax season. All you have to do is follow these best practices:

  • Remember that the IRS will never contact you by email to discuss the nature of your tax return or your personal details.
  • Verify the true identity of any suspicious links by hovering your mouse cursor over the link. A popup will then display where the link will send you.
  • Never send personal documents to unsolicited email requests as it is likely that a hacker is trying to harvest your details
  • Emails that claim to be from official organizations, but do not use your name are to be treated as highly suspicious and should be deleted.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

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How to Protect Yourself against Social Engineering

Hacking, Ophtek, Phishing, Phishing Email, Security Threats, social engineering, , , ,
04
Aug 2020

 

Hackers thrive upon deception and the result of this endeavor is social engineering. It’s a powerful tactic and one you need to protect yourself from.

Social engineering has been used to deploy attacks such as the Coronavirus malware and the recent attack on high profile Twitter accounts. The method is intriguing due to its sophistication and its human element. Rather than relying on complex coding techniques to outwit computer systems, social engineering takes advantage of human naivety. More importantly, however, is the sheer destruction that it can cause.

The world is a perilous place at the best times, but now more than ever we need to make sure we protect ourselves and our businesses. One of the best ways to get started is by reinforcing the barricades against social engineering.

What is Social Engineering?

Manipulation is, in a word, exactly what social engineering is. But you’re going to need a little more information than that, so let’s take a closer look.
Social engineering is a process in which one party seeks to deceive individuals into revealing sensitive information. When it comes to the world of IT this sensitive data tends to relate to login credentials, but can also involve transferring sensitive documents such as employee records. These attacks are commonly executed through the use of phishing emails, but this is not the only technique. It’s possible for hackers to carry out social engineering attacks over the telephone and even face to face.

The Best Ways to Protect Yourself

Protecting yourself against social engineering takes a concerted effort. You can’t rely on software alone to protect you. Luckily, you can strengthen your personal defenses by practicing the following:

• Take Your Time: Social engineering relies on a lack of caution on the victim’s part. Therefore, it’s crucial that you always take your time when it comes to any form of communication. A social engineer will do their best to force you into making a quick decision e.g. clicking a link or disclosing your password. To counter this, evaluate all requests and press for answers if you feel even slightly suspicious.

• Use Email Filters: There have been great advances made in email filters over the course of the last 20 years. Where these junk filters once had relatively little use they are now highly intelligent. Enabling your email filters will enhance your security and prevent the majority of phishing emails making their way into your inbox. This reduces your risk and stops you from engaging with a social engineer.

• Too Good to Be True: As with all areas of life, if something sounds too good to be true then it makes sense to be suspicious. After all, it’s unlikely that a representative for an African prince wants to deposit millions of dollars into your bank account. And, if they did, why would they require your social security number? And your workplace login credentials? As a rule of thumb, if it sounds like a scam then it probably is and should be deleted.

• Is the Source Genuine: If an email says that it’s from your bank then this doesn’t mean it’s from your bank. Likewise, a phone call from your HR team isn’t necessarily genuine. Hackers specialize in trickery and deception, so they won’t shy away from such blatant and direct approaches. Always check every request for details such genuine URL details (by hovering over a link) and only transmitting sensitive data to internal email addresses.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

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Coronavirus Malware Spreads Round the World

Ophtek, Phishing, Phishing Email, Security, Security Threats, , ,
18
Feb 2020

The coronavirus is the latest health scare to be spreading across the globe. Hackers, as clever as ever, are using this fear to spread malware.

Hackers are innovative criminals and are constantly on the lookout for exploits. Sometimes these are software vulnerabilities that leave back door opens. But these exploits can also take the form of social engineering. And this is how hackers are taking advantage of the panic caused by the coronavirus.

It’s always important to safeguard your defenses with the best security software, but this isn’t enough. Threats such as social engineering require a concerted effort to be made by individuals. So that’s why we’re going to take a look at the threat posed by the coronavirus malware.

What is the Coronavirus Malware?

The entire planet is preparing and educating themselves for the fight against the coronavirus. Naturally, this means that millions of people are heading online to learn more about the disease. Now, although the internet poses no threat to your physical health, the same cannot be said for your digital security. And this is because cyber criminals are disguising malware as educational documents on the coronavirus.

These documents, which have been detected as docx, pdf and mp4 variants, promise to be helpful. But, rather than containing useful information on the coronavirus, these documents actually contain a wide range of malware threats. So far, Kaspersky, have identified 10 file variants that include various Trojans and worms. However, given the on-going threat of the coronavirus, it’s likely that the number of malware threats will increase.

The most common method to spread this malware is through phishing emails. And, as with all social engineering, the bait is very convincing. The emails claim to be distributed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but this is a false claim. If you look a little closer you will discover that the domain these are sent from is incorrect. The official domain for the CDC is cdc.gov but these malicious emails actually originate from cdc-gov.org. These emails contain a link which, rather than taking you to an advice page, takes you to a fake web page that aims to steal your credentials.

How to Protect Yourself Against the Coronavirus Malware

Hackers are using a variety of methods to exploit the coronavirus to cause digital chaos. Infected documents threaten the security of your PC systems and phishing emails have the potential to steal personal information. Therefore, you need to protect yourself by following these best practices:

  • Only Open Trusted Files: The only files that you should ever open on a PC are ones that come from a trusted source. If there’s even the smallest doubt over the legitimacy of a file you shouldn’t download it. Always check with an IT professional before going any further. 
  • Always Hover Over Links: Emails, and websites, can easily display a web link which disguises its true destination. A link that, for example, claims it will send you to an official government website can easily send you somewhere else. However, if you hover your mouse cursor over a link, this will prompt a popup which displays exactly where it will take you. 
  • Install Security Software: A sure fire way to avoid the wrath of malicious websites is by working with security software. These applications are regularly updated with details of malicious websites and will put an instant block on visiting them.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

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What are the Telltale Signs of a Phishing Email?

Ophtek, Phishing, Phishing Email, Security, Security Threats, , ,
21
May 2019

Email is an integral part of business communication for any organization with an IT structure, but there’s a significant danger posed by phishing emails.

When it comes to IT security, you want to make sure your defenses are as strong as possible in order to repel any hackers. However, human error will always play a factor in this and hackers are well aware of this vulnerability. Phishing emails are the latest evolution in the age old scenario of a confidence trick and present a major issue not just to individuals and businesses, but also political parties. Given the damage that phishing emails can cause to your data security and IT infrastructure, it’s important to understand the telltale signs of a fishing email, so let’s take a look.

Four Telltale Signs of a Phishing Email

If you know what you’re dealing with then a phishing email can be quickly identified and deleted from your server within a few seconds. However, understanding what does and doesn’t make a phishing email is a learning curve. In order to get up to speed on what constitutes a phishing email make sure you look out for the following:

  1. A Suspicious Email Address: Although it’s possible to mask the true identity of the original sender of a phishing email, the chances are that the hacker will instead use an email address that appears to be genuine but, upon investigation, is false. A good case in point is when the email address is clearly not official e.g. it’s common to find phishing emails pretending to be from Microsoft, but with a domain name which clearly isn’t Microsoft such as microsoft_support@yahoo.com 
  1. A Vague Greeting: Phishing emails are rarely sent to a single individual. Instead, hackers tend to send the same email to thousands upon thousands of different people. This approach ensures that there’s a higher chance of someone falling for the scam. However, addressing each email to each individual would be incredibly time consuming. Therefore, a sure sign of a phishing email is one that commences with a vague greeting such as “Dear Sir/Madam” or Dear Customer” 

  1. A Fake Link: Phishing emails almost always contain a link that takes users to either an infected website or downloads malicious software. And, often, these links will appear to be genuine. So, for example, there may be a phishing email that lands in your inbox from your bank that asks you to click a link to confirm some security details. However, while that link may read as bankofamerica.com it may be hiding a different destination. The only way to verify this without clicking is by hovering your mouse cursor over the link and verifying the address revealed in the popup box. 
  1. A Sense of Urgency: Hackers want you to click on the fake links contained within their phishing emails, so their approach tends to use fear to encourage clicking the link. Phishing emails, therefore, tend to carry some type of warning in order to trick you into thinking that it’s in your best interests to click the link. This can be as mundane as asking you to enter a survey to win a million dollars or more serious warnings such as the imminent closure of your bank account.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

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Understanding the Basics of Ransomware

Ophtek, Phishing, Ransomware, Secure Database, Secure Flashdrive, Secure Website, Security, Updates, , , , ,
07
May 2019

Ransomware has been causing trouble for businesses for many years, so it’s clearly a form of hacking which needs greater understanding to avoid its wrath.

The name ransomware sounds a little threatening and, as with all hacks, it’s hardly the friendliest of exchanges. However, whilst most forms of malware – which ransomware is a strain of – tend to disrupt day to day operations of your IT equipment by either stealing data or putting a strain on your network through DDoS attacks, ransomware is different. Not only does it disrupt your IT operations, but it also delivers a financial threat to your organization.

Due to the double whammy contained within ransomware, it’s crucial that you understand the basics of ransomware, so let’s take a quick look.

What is Ransomware?

Believe it or not, but the very first recorded ransomware attack dates back to 1989 when a hacker was able to hide the files of an infected PC on its hard drive and encrypt the file names. And, to be honest, modern day ransomware still operates in a similar, if not more sophisticated, manner.

Ransomware is a form of malware which, when executed on a user’s PC, is able to take over the victim’s system and encrypt their files. Naturally, files are essential for any organization to operate efficiently and to their maximum productivity, so this is clearly a very debilitating attack. However, to add insult to injury, the hackers then demand a ransom fee to release a key which can decrypt the files and return them to a usable state.

How is Ransomware Executed?

The most common method employed by hackers to execute ransomware on a user’s PC is through phishing emails. These emails, which appear to be genuine, are highly deceptive methods of communication which convince the recipients that they need to open an attachment bundled with the email. However, these attachments are far from genuine and the most likely result of clicking them is that malicious software such as ransomware will be executed.

How Can You Combat Ransomware?

With the average ransom fee demanded by ransomware totaling around $12,000, it’s clearly an irritation that your organization can do without. Thankfully, there are a number of actions you can take to protect your business:

  • Regularly Backup Your Data: As long as your data is regularly backed up, there should be no need to pay the ransom fee. With a comprehensive backup route in place you will be able to easily retrieve your files from an earlier restore point when they weren’t encrypted. 
  • Work with Anti-Malware Software: Most ransomware can be detected by anti-malware software, so it stands to reason that installing this software should make a significant difference to your defenses. Updating this software as soon as any patches or upgrades become available, of course, should be made a priority as it could make a real difference to falling victim to newly released ransomware. 

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

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