Some Hackers Are Out to Give IT Departments a Bad Reputation

We all know that hacking is one of the biggest risks we must deal with in today’s technology-based society. Most hackers out there try to take advantage of the latest vulnerabilities in software, but there are some that use a more sophisticated method. These hackers try take advantage of the weaknesses found in the human psyche, rather than the technological flaws that consistently get patched.

Attacks like these are generally classified as phishing scams, in which the hacker will attempt to steal sensitive information by taking advantage of employees who might not know any better. They will often pose as important individuals from recognized institutions, like banks or business partners, and attempt to coerce credentials from your team. These can come through phone calls, emails, or other mediums.

Some of the most offensive crimes against the general populace and this technological society in general are how hackers will often impersonate IT staff to further their own goals. As IT technicians ourselves, this makes us sick. We can’t think of a more grievous way to infiltrate a system. Not only do these hackers access systems without permission, but they also ruin the good name of hard-working IT professionals whose goal is to put a stop to attacks like these in the first place.

In fact, the security experts at FireEye have reported that these impersonation crimes rank as some of the most commonly used tactics by hackers. The primary reason these tactics work is due to a lack of two-factor authentication. As ZDNet reports:

Social engineering, phishing campaigns and the impersonation of legitimate IT personnel are also on the rise. The security firm says that through 2014, FireEye observed hackers impersonating IT staff in 78 percent of phishing schemes directed at companies, in comparison to just 44 percent in the previous year.

As IT professionals and human beings, we cannot stand idly by while innocent people are targeted. The small or medium-sized business may not have the in-house IT department to constantly keep watch over your company’s network. This is why Preferred offers security solutions that are designed for integration into any network. Our Unified Threat Management (UTM) device is a comprehensive network security measure that includes a firewall, antivirus, spam-blocking, and content-filtering solution, all designed to help your organization cope with the constantly-evolving threat landscape that comes with the business environment.

Additionally, Preferred offers two-factor authentication services which can make phishing attacks less dangerous. With two-factor authentication, your team will need to enter in a secondary credential in addition to their username and password. These are often sent to a secondary device which prevents a hacker from accessing it. This secondary credential is often sent to a phone in a text message, but you can also rig it to send automated voice calls, and much more. Whatever you choose to do, these messages provide an extra hurdle for hackers, making it vastly more difficult to access your important data.

Don’t let hackers get the better of your company’s network. Give the real IT pros at Preferred a call at 708-781-7110 to show cybercriminals you mean business.