At the beginning of the year, business activity in companies is gaining momentum: new budgets are approved, strategic projects are launched, and the results of the previous year are summed up. All this happens together with adaptation to the working rhythm, the formation of new plans and spring vitamin deficiency. During this period, the concentration of attention of most employees is reduced, and the level of stress, on the contrary, is consistently high. These are ideal conditions for scammers. Alexander Yarov, head of information security at ELMA, told how to help the team remain vigilant when faced with cyber fraud.
Cyber threats in the company: who is at risk
Every year, cybersecurity issues become more and more relevant for business – fraudsters come up with new sophisticated ways to obtain company data and its financial resources. In the last year alone, enterprises of various levels have faced cyber attacks 130 thousand times. This is 150% more than in 2023. Attacks on information systems can lead to serious consequences and cause a number of problems:
- financial difficulties (irrevocable loss of funds from the company’s accounts);
- access problems (unexpected failures of authentication systems);
- loss of contracts (customer rejection due to concerns about information resource vulnerability).
Fraudsters often choose their “victims” consciously, targeting certain figures within organizations. First of all, employees in key positions are at risk: accounting, sales departments, project managers and senior management of companies. Nevertheless, this does not exclude the possibility that ordinary employees can become an object for cyber attacks. It is important to remember that the threat can affect everyone, so none of the company’s employees should relax – everything is at risk.
Basic schemes of cyber fraudsters: what to pay attention at
On the way to their goal, cyber fraudsters use various psychological and technical tricks to deceive users. Consider the three main schemes of deception that employees of companies can be exposed to.
Sensory overload
Cyber fraudsters often exploit a state of sensory overload, when a person is busy with many tasks and his attention is scattered. In such a situation, person’s cognitive resources are depleted, which leads to a decrease in attention and an increase in the likelihood of errors.
It is during this period that an invoice from “partners” can come to the work mail, which will be automatically sent for payment without studying the details. Another example: an IT specialist can write to the messenger and ask you to follow the link and check the security settings. When there is no time at work and there is no time to understand the authenticity of the source, it is easy to fulfill the requirement. But after the login and password are entered, this data automatically falls into the hands of scammers.
Fear, authority, urgency
Cyber fraudsters often use pressure tactics through fear or appeal to authority. For example, they may pretend to be representatives of the bank or government agencies, claiming that you have a serious problem that requires immediate solution. Phrases like: “Your manager demands to transfer money urgently, otherwise the deal will fail!” or “Pay urgently, otherwise you will face a serious fine and account blocking!”
At this moment, the main tool of fraudsters is the confusion of employees and panic. It is important for attackers to keep their victim in a state for some time, which is enough for them to obtain the necessary information – for example, bank card numbers or other personal data.
Introduction of a second actor
This scheme of deception is based on the psychological effect of trust. Scammers may introduce a “well-wisher” who allegedly helps you deal with an initial problem created by another scammer. Once in the center of events, it is difficult for the victim to figure out where the truth is and where the malicious intent is. The only desire is to solve the problem rather, even if in reality it does not exist.
Cybersecurity measures: protection strategies for business teams
Cyberattacks are becoming more sophisticated and dangerous, posing serious challenges to companies of all sizes. It is important to understand that ensuring cybersecurity is the collective responsibility of each employee of the organization.
Here are key precautions to help respond to possible threats and preserve company data.
- Raising awareness. Regular training and discussion of real-world examples of cyberattacks will help the team better understand potential threats and teach them to recognize suspicious activities.
- Safe behaviour training. It is important not only to know about the existing risks, but also to be able to respond correctly to them. Employees should be trained in the algorithms of actions in case of detection of suspicious activity.
- Staying calm. Scammers often use urgency-building tactics to force the victim to act impulsively. Teaching the team to stay calm and avoid hasty decisions is a key aspect of defending.
- Two-factor authentication. The introduction of an additional level of confirmation for financial transactions will help prevent unauthorized access to company resources. You can enter a rule that all urgent or unexpected financial transactions require confirmation via another communication channel.
- Interruption of communication. If fraud is suspected, you should immediately stop communicating without engaging in dialogue with a potential attacker.
- Verification of information. Before making decisions, it is important to conduct your own investigation and make sure that the information received is reliable through independent sources.
By following these recommendations, companies can significantly reduce the risks of cyber attacks and ensure the security of their information assets.