In a world that is still gripped by fear of COVID-19 and its variants, data monitoring and management for business has become even more essential. When people make decisions based on their fears, they aren’t as level-headed as they might be otherwise. Phishing exploits spread across the globe beginning in late 2019 as whispers of the virus became commonplace. Now, nearly two years later, COVID-19 security issues still plague businesses in various industries, many of whom still have employees working remotely. If you have not done so already, now is the time to improve your company’s security, training, and support. One way to do this is to outsource network security services with a reliable team at Synivate. We can provide you and your staff with the education, ongoing support, and dependable services required to prevent and recover from attacks.
The Ongoing Evolution of Phishing Exploits
Better at adapting to a changing world than most other types of technology, phishing exploits expand, change, and shift in the wild to snare even the most knowledgeable and confident individuals. Adopting new languages, new scam approaches, and the innate ability to impersonate coworkers, IT departments, colleagues, and other business types has allowed them to phish what many thought was the “un-phish-able” for many years. Industry experts reveal that cybercriminals in 2021 have the same primary objectives as they did in the previous year, which is to search out corporate account credentials. They are still exploiting fears and concerns about COVID-19 and focus on other hot topics, including the Olympics, to achieve their goals.
While many security experts who focus on data monitoring and management reveal that most of the phishing emails sent so far this year have continued in volume and depth, they have also noticed a few interesting changes. Instead of solely focusing on corporate businesses, many have also impersonated global internet portals in addition to online stores as part of their campaigns. Global supply chain issues, bidding opportunities for undelivered packages, and other pandemic-related “shop-opportunities” have increased in popularity. Those who interact with these messages – or in many instances, actually bid on the packages and other goods – receive an email in return that requires postage to be paid or attachments to be downloaded. These actions are loaded with malware, which is then installed on their computers to take advantage of these phishing exploits for financial gain.
Other COVID-19 Security Issues
The more you can learn about how these cyber criminals work and the lengths they will go to achieve their goals, the easier it is to maintain network security services and employee support in the workplace. Part of the services we offer at Synivate includes staff education and training, which is essential to preventing attacks like these from ever happening. Our data backup and recovery services are designed to get your business back up and running following an attack or any other type of disruption. Data monitoring and management help to ensure that your company’s essential data is safeguarded and easily accessible for recovery, should the need arise. This approach is designed to help reduce downtime following ransom and cyberattacks of all kinds.
Fake attachments are still popular, especially when it comes to COVID-19 security issues. The use of links that take the user to false Office365 and other software login portals spiked again in 2021. Other targeted scams, including invitations to Facebook, WhatsApp, and other social media users to “chat with beautiful strangers” and other lures, have increased this year as well. The malware used by these phishing exploits is designed to affect mobile devices, which is what are typically used by those who would be interested in social media interaction. One of the best recommendations ever regarding unsolicited emails or emails that you think might be from a company that you do business with is to either type in the URL to a browser and visit the website yourself OR contact the organization directly in some other way.
Managed Services and More
If you are interested in learning about all of the professional services and network security opportunities available at Synivate, give us a call at 617-848-1248. We can offer you a FREE comprehensive consultation – no pressure, no obligation – just honest and friendly advice. We work with each client to create custom solutions designed to reduce downtime, improve performance, and ensure that your computer network works at optimal efficiency to maximize results.