Blog | RTGroup.ca

Simple strategies to prevent phishing scams

Written by Ian Robertson | Jan 30, 2023

 

Have you heard about the sneaky new scam that’s going around small- and medium-sized businesses?

The old adage that crime never sleeps is especially true on the internet, and criminals constantly invent new ways to attack your business.

A recent scam uses a trustworthy brand name to get the recipient to drop their guard. You might receive an email from what looks like a legit company. A seemingly blank image will be attached to the email that contains empty but maliciously encoded SVG files.

You don’t need to know what this means, just that clicking on the attachment can bypass anti-virus software and give a bad guy access to your network. 

It’s no problem because you know you shouldn’t click on it. But do your employees know?

If one of them opens the attachment, your entire network could be at risk. The danger of ransomware attacks or data breaches is real.

Small- and medium-sized businesses can be easy targets for cyber criminals. These companies don’t always have a dedicated IT department or even someone keeping an eye on things.

There’s no need to panic because you can build up your defences now by taking a few easy steps. Education is the key.

If anyone in the company signs documents electronically, they should always know who the sender is and ensure emails are authentic before opening any attachments.

The next line of defence is to block all emails with this specific attachment. That way employees won’t even have the opportunity to open it. 

In addition to these methods, it might be time to contact us and ask for a little support. We’ve been protecting small- and medium-sized businesses in Victoria, BC, for years. We can help keep the criminals out.