Pay Attention to Cyber Crime this Tax Season March 20, 2018 By Jackie Katz Every year businesses are hit with increased cybersecurity threats during tax season. Companies of all sizes are at risk of losing valuable information and potential exposure of financial loss. Here are three things you need to keep in mind this tax season. #1. Phishing Attempts Phishing is when someone sends an e-mail from what appears to be a trusted vendor, customer, or organization that is designed to steal your information. E-mails can be modified to appear to be from an organization’s server and will likely reflect a domain and username you would expect to see coming from that specific organization. Be alert to unexpected critical e-mails and reach out to that individual or organization by phone if you feel something is not right. Most trusted parties will not request sensitive data via e-mail; however, also look out for links within emails that can lead to untrusted websites. Modern e-mail clients allow you to hover over a link before clicking, so check for irregular domains and URL shorteners. #2 Contact from IRS Agents Cyber criminals may attempt to disguise themselves as IRS agents in order to obtain compromising information about your business and employees. Often, the “agent” will request additional information that is unnecessary for filing purposes but holds tremendous value to them like social security numbers, telephone numbers, and addresses. The IRS will only contact you by U.S. mail! #3. Internal Actors The nature of many companies’ work requires individuals other than the proprietor to access critical information. These employees should be made aware of communication procedures and safeguards to prevent cybercrimes from occurring. A majority of cyber incidents are caused by people that are unware of threats. Year-Round Attention Remember to be vigilant all year long, just because taxes have been filed does not mean the end of cybersecurity threats. To learn more about best practices for your business or to schedule an employee training, please contact OMA Comp. #OMAComp #CyberSecurity #PhishingAttempts #EmployeeTraining #CyberCrime #TaxFraud
Cybersecurity Plans Help Protect Businesses May 18, 2017 By Jackie Katz Cybersecurity is now a known, everyday term as we are bombarded in the local and national news by online security threats more and more. As business and technology become increasingly intertwined, the risk posed by malicious hackers expands and the importance to protect online business has increased exponentially. Most companies fail to plan for cybersecurity threats, although, simple steps can greatly enhance an organizations ability to protect itself. Proactive Steps By anticipating that malicious attacks may happen, you can protect both your company’s and your customer’s data. Preventive controls are one of the first areas the OMA Comp team reviews and assesses when creating a cybersecurity plan for a customer. A combination of network enhancements, frequent vulnerability tests, and employee trainings work best to reduce your risk. Staying on top of software updates, vulnerability patches, and filter enhancements enable businesses to maintain maximum speed and defense against threats. Establishing a regular process for updating your network’s defensive measures will pay dividends: new threats appear every day. Planning for Threats While cybersecurity is an imperfect science, businesses can get ahead of the curve by acting before attacks occur – not afterward. It is critical for your business to plan for threats. By preparing your company, you can protect your network and data. Such an example is supporting daily (or more often depending on the business) backups to critical employee or customer databases, with the expectation that one or more supporting systems may be vulnerable to hacks. Employee Training A major component to a successful cybersecurity plan that is often overlooked is employee training. Most threats come as the result of poor employee knowledge on technical concepts, which can cause harm to the security of the business’ data and network at large. OMA Comp provides businesses with a 360-degree view of cybersecurity measures, a plan for improving current processes, and support to achieve greater network and information protection. Contact OMA Comp to learn more.
Flash Drives Compromise Computers’ Security May 4, 2016 By Jackie Katz Read about infected flash drives compromising dental offices. Contact OMA Comp about Employee Training to reduce your risk of infection. Learn more about OMA Comp’s Cybersecurity offerings.