What Is Malvertising?
Oxford Dictionary defines malvertising as ‘the practice of incorporating malware in online advertisements.’ Short for malicious software, or malware advertising, this is the practice of attacking viewers or consumers with fraudulent information that is inserted into sometimes (but not always) legitimate advertisements.
How Does It Work
Malvertising works in conjunction with the online advertising ecosystem by initiating multiple redirects after the user clicks or views an infected advertisement.
What Is Vishing?
Cybercriminal activity has many terms that are part of the mainstream vernacular. The dark web, breaches, and most people have heard of phishing, even if they don’t know how to recognize a fraudulent email. In fact, Google recently warned nearly 5 million people in a recent week about potentially harmful sites that they are about to visit! FIVE MILLION in one week. And with that in mind, if you aren’t using our Catch Phish in-email phishing training tool, you’ll want to make sure you integrate that into your offering asap!
Scam Alert: Interview & Job Scams
Scam Alert: Interview & Job Scams
There are some topics that might seem irrelevant or not important when it comes to alerting your clients with regard to their online safety and cybersecurity. One of those might be about the process of looking at other jobs for a career change or simply to supplement their current income. It’s likely that your client’s employees are not going to be forthcoming that they are, or might be, looking for a new or additional job in the future. But as their IT liaison, you’d be remiss to not mention current scams with them. And we are hearing a lot about interview scams.
Increase Engagement & Awareness In Your Ongoing Training Program
Staying engaged and interacting with your clients just got easier. And in the cybersecurity realm, no one can afford to stay complacent and ‘forget’ just how integral smart and secure habits are when it comes to lowering your risk of a breach. You can’t be there onsite for your clients and calling them daily to remind them of the risk that accompanies poor behaviors is not an easier – or wise – path to choose.
While human interaction and actual conversations are genuinely valued, we are so inundated with information on an ongoing basis, that sometimes it can be overwhelming to take on more, especially in our already busy lives. And, with so much information flooding the internet, it can be difficult to determine what pieces of information and advice are legitimate and worth listening to.
Initial Access Brokers: Who Are They?
Imagine if a locksmith created a key for your home or business, then sold a copy of that key to a burglar. They didn’t steal your belongings, but they provided access, making them integral to the process for it to occur. Initial Access Brokers (IABs) work in a similar fashion. The name says it all, they provide the initial access to your account and do this by brokering or selling your credentials to the cybercriminals who will then take it a step further and steal data or deploy ransomware for extortion of funds.
Removable Media & Cybersecurity
According to the United States Government Depart of Commerce National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), a removable media device or portable storage device is:
“A system component that can communicate with and be added to or removed from a system or network and that is limited to data storage—including text, video, audio or image data—as its primary function (e.g., optical discs, external or removable hard drives, external or removable solid-state disk drives, magnetic or optical tapes, flash memory devices, flash memory cards, and other external or removable disks).”
Dangerous Malware Disguised as Antivirus Software
It is so easy to become complacent in our cybersecurity behaviors. But Android users should be given a shake this week and alerted to malware that is being deployed unknowingly by users who think that they are downloading anti-virus apps via the Google Play store. There were six different cases found to contain the Sharkbot malware in recent days. Initially discovered in October of 2021, this banking trojan makes money transfers by stealing credentials and banking information.
Compromised Data Comes in Many Forms 
No Big Deal Right?
A friend recently mentioned an email that she received regarding an investment app that she had downloaded on her phone. The app was a way for her to play around and learn a little bit about investing, something that it seems many people leaned into during the pandemic.
Tax Scams: What to Look Out for This Season
Many of us dread this time of year for the obvious reason …tax time can be well, very taxing. Add to the challenge of it all, that many of us are working from home, and find ourselves in a whole new and unfamiliar scenario of what we can claim as a tax write-off. We’re all looking for ways to maximize our return and minimize what we owe to the government.
And in this new business landscape, we do our own research, and we seek answers online. Often, we put little effort into validating the sites we use, because the amount of information is overwhelming and sometimes confusing. Additionally, we’ve had a lot of communication this year from the government on different aid packages and relief options.
MVP: Most Valuable Player
Look Beyond Technology and Put People First
If you think of business as if it were a sports team, you can have a top-notch facility (or fancy office space), stylish uniforms, and the best fan base (or clientele list) around, but if your players don’t show up for each game, you’ll never have a winning season.
In a business, your team roster is your employees. And having talent that is well trained and ready for whatever comes at them during the business day is going to provide you with a consistent game-winning approach.