ThrottleNet

Managed IT services, support and cybersecurity

Make Your IT Network a
No Phishing Zone

mobile security

Phishing is a common cybercrime in today’s tech-savvy society. We’ve all heard the term and know that it’s bad, but how much do you really know about what phishing is, how to recognize a phishing message, and how to protect your network? This helpful guide has all the details to help you turn your business’s IT network into a “No Phishing Zone”.

What Is Phishing?

Phishing is a form of fraud that occurs when a target is contacted by either text, phone, or email by an individual acting as a legitimate person or company. The hacker uses phishing emails to administer either malicious attachments or links, which then allows them to extract private information from their victims, such as their account information and login credentials.

In many cases, these messages containing malicious links and attachments appear to be from an individual or company that they know. The objective of the phishing message is to either install malware on the victim’s device, or to guide them to a malicious website in order to mislead them into entering financial or personal information. This could include account usernames and passwords, credit card information, etc.

How to Recognize a Phishing Message

Email phishing is by far the most common type of phishing scam used to target businesses. The most successful phishing emails or messages are difficult to differentiate from legitimate emails. This is because cybercriminals will often pose as someone you know. Closer inspection of the email will often reveal the truth, however. Some indications of phishing could include misspelled URLs, names and email addresses, requests to verify personal or financial information, or messages with grammatical and spelling mistakes. However, if your network, email, or website have critical security vulnerabilities, it is difficult to prevent phishing and other types of cybercrime.

Know Your Technology Vulnerabilities

It is critical to keep your customer information and business data protected. Rest assured, hackers will work just as hard as you do to find ways to access your data through vulnerabilities in your network, website, and email system. You need to get and stay at least a step ahead of them. To help keep your valuable business information secure, ThrottleNet is offering a free External Vulnerability Audit to discover your weak spots before hackers do.

Discovering Your Network's Weak Spots

A Free ThrottleNet External Vulnerability Audit Checks For:

  • Domain vulnerabilities: ensures client information is secure and your URL is safe from malware and phishing.
  • Website weaknesses: scans your website for possible threats. This could include malware, blacklisting status, website errors, and software issues.
  • Email threats: searches for proper spam filtering to prevent malware and phishing attacks, and ensures your email server is not blacklisted.
  • Network security issues: looks your network to find all possible open external entryway threats, such as misconfigured services or ports.

Once your audit is performed, ThrottleNet will contact you to review the results and discuss possible solutions to safeguard your company’s data and IT infrastructure.

Get a Free IT Vulnerability Check in St. Louis, MO

Let ThrottleNet detect your weak spots before cybercriminals do. To get started, contact ThrottleNet to get your free audit. Don’t become phish bait! ThrottleNet will eliminate the hooks and network vulnerabilities to ensure your business IT is a “No Phishing Zone”.

START HERE

SIM cards are necessary to operate most modern mobile devices. SIM stands for “subscriber identity module”. As anyone who’s had trouble with their SIM card can tell you, this tiny piece of tech is majorly important. It connects the user to their network, and therefore their data. Among the data linked to your SIM is one of your most valuable pieces of personally identifying information: your phone number.

A new type of social engineering attack called SIM swapping is becoming more commonHacked employees are a danger to your company’s data, so it is important to know what to look out for and keep your team up to date on best practices in mobile cybersecurity. Read on for all the details of how you can protect your network from SIM swapping scams.

SIM Swapping Defined

SIM swapping occurs when a criminal contacts the phone company and convinces the employee that they are the owner of the phone and need a transfer to a new device due to damage or it being lost.

The scammer will ask the cell phone provider to activate a new SIM card connected to your phone number on a new phone that they now own. If the scammer is successful, they will receive all of your texts, phone calls, and data.

In some circumstances, the scam occurs on the inside, where employees of the phone company help make the switch, making them part of the scam.

What Happens When You Are SIM Swapped?

Once the scammer gains control of your phone number, they can receive your text messages. With access to your texts, this can allow criminals to log into your other accounts and receive verification codes needed to log in. This occurs if text messages are used as a form of multi-factor authentication.

With this information, scammers could log into bank accounts to steal money, or take over social media and email accounts. There is also a chance they could lock you out of an account completely by changing the password.

Protecting Yourself from SIM Swapping

Protect your device and data from SIM swapping with these tips from ThrottleNet’s IT security pros.

  1. Do not reply to text messages or phone calls that request personal information.
    These texts or calls could be phishing attempts by scammers looking to get your cellular, bank, or credit card account information. Instead, contact the company directly through a phone number or website you know is legitimate if you receive a suspicious text message or phone call.
  2. Limit the amount of personal information you post on social media platforms.
    Avoid posting your full name, address, or phone number. Posting this information can make it easier for scammers to steal your identity.
  3. Set up a PIN or passcode on your cellular account.
    Creating a PIN or passcode can act as an added layer of protection, which is another piece of information a scammer would need to obtain prior to stealing your identity. PINs or passcodes can also help protect an account from any unauthorized changes.Since setting up a PIN/passcode differs depending on the cell phone company, be sure to contact your provider to see what steps to take to do so.
  4. Use an authentication application or security key.
    A newer way to authenticate your identity online is by using security keys. Security keys are small USB-powered devices that work like an actual key to your accounts by inserting them into your computer when logging in. Some security keys work with both computers and mobile devices.

What To Do If You Become A Victim of SIM Swapping

If you’re the target of a SIM swap scam, there are three important steps you should follow to help mitigate the damage and re-secure your information.

  • Contact your cell phone provider immediately to take back control of your phone number.
  • Once you regain access, change your account passwords to prevent any other issues.
  • Check bank, credit card and other accounts for unauthorized changes and charges, and report them to your company.

For more information on SIM Swapping and other ways to protect your information, contact ThrottleNet today

GET MORE INFO

Keeping your mobile devices secure is essential since a huge amount of time each day is spent on them. Opposite of what people might think, mobile security requires a different approach compared to computer security. This requires individuals to continue learning about mobile security.

Tips for Mobile Security

First and foremost, be aware of the permissions allowed for mobile devices on your network. Many times, people are unaware of the terms and conditions for many software downloads, registrations, etc. Skimming over these permissions could lead to security risks and has the possibility to release your personal information.

Other tips for Mobile Security include:

  • Set up a passcode
  • Keep a remote backup for your data
  • Stay logged out of your accounts
  • Keep your operating system up to date

WiFi Phishing

WiFi Phishing continues to be a dangerous social engineering attack because hackers can bypass security altogether. It is important to know how to spot this type of attack because hackers position themselves to look just like the network connection you normally interact and users easily hand over login information exposing their network and information.

Tips to Follow:

  1. Be aware of any unsecured WiFi network
  2. Double-check the name of the network
  3. Don’t enter personal data on a public network

How to Spot Phishing Emails:

  • Spelling errors
  • A sense of urgency
  • Links or attachments
  • Odd “sent from” addresses

What is Smishing?

Smishing is a form of phishing and is essentially the same as phishing, but instead, cybercriminals send fraudulent (SMS) text messages to trick you into clicking a link that can infect your mobile device. Smishing has become a growing threat to online security.

How Would I Know That I’m Being Smished?

The main element to staying safe on your mobile devices is to only reply to text messages from people you know. Basic precautions you can take when keeping your mobile devices secure include not clicking on texts that you received from a phone number that does not look like one, not clicking on links from people you do not know, and never installing applications from an SMS rather than the official app store.

Are you worried your IT systems aren’t protecting you from cybercriminal attacks? Contact ThrottleNet today to learn more about the services we offer and how we can keep you protected. Keep your personal information secure, contact ThrottleNet today for all your mobile security needs!

SIM cards are necessary to operate mobile phones and connects the user to a network of their choosing. SIM, which stands for subscriber identity module, not only allows access to the network, but it also contains your phone number. A new type of social engineering, SIM swapping, has become a problem over recent years.

SIM Swapping Defined

SIM swapping occurs when a criminal contacts the phone company and convinces the employee that they are the owner of the phone and need a transfer to a new device due to damage or it being lost.

The scammer will ask the cell phone provider to activate a new SIM card connected to your phone number on a new phone that they now own. If the scammer is successful, they will receive all of your texts, phone calls, and data.

In some circumstances, the scam occurs on the inside, where employees of the phone company help make the switch, making them part of the scam.

What Happens When You Are SIM Swapped?

Once the scammer gains control of your phone number, they can receive your text messages. With access to your texts, this can allow criminals to log into your other accounts and receive verification codes needed to log in. This occurs if text messages are used as a form of multi-factor authentication.

With this information, scammers could log into bank accounts to steal money, or take over social media and email accounts. There is also a chance they could lock you out of an account completely by changing the password.

Protecting Yourself from SIM Swapping

  1. Do not reply to text messages or phone calls that request personal information.
    These texts or calls could be phishing attempts by scammers looking to get your cellular, bank, or credit card account information. Instead, contact the company directly through a phone number or website you know is legitimate if you receive a suspicious text message or phone call.
  2. Limit the amount of personal information you post on social media platforms.
    Avoid posting your full name, address, or phone number. Posting this information can make it easier for scammers to steal your identity.
  3. Set up a PIN or passcode on your cellular account.
    Creating a PIN or passcode can act as an added layer of protection, which is another piece of information a scammer would need to obtain prior to stealing your identity. PINs or passcodes can also help protect an account from any unauthorized changes.Since setting up a PIN/passcode differs depending on the cell phone company, be sure to contact your provider to see what steps to take to do so.
  4. Use an authentication application or security key.

What To Do If You Become A Victim of SIM Swapping

If you’re the target of a SIM swap scam:

  • Contact your cell phone provider immediately to take back control of your phone number. Once you regain access, change your account passwords to prevent any other issues.
  • Check bank, credit card and other accounts for unauthorized changes and charges, and report them to your company.

For more information on SIM Swapping and other ways to protect your information, contact ThrottleNet today!