{"id":77734,"date":"2015-08-04T17:22:41","date_gmt":"2015-08-04T21:22:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rbach.net\/blog\/index.php\/"},"modified":"2021-08-08T20:14:36","modified_gmt":"2021-08-09T00:14:36","slug":"you-can-stop-cyber-attacks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rbach.net\/index.php\/you-can-stop-cyber-attacks\/","title":{"rendered":"You Can Stop Cyber Attacks"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"You<\/a>Seems like every week another<\/a> major<\/a> cyber <\/a>attack<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0is\u00a0reported<\/a>. Cyber attacks expose the personal details of millions of users worldwide. Companies are spending over $70 billion<\/a>\u00a0to fight off cyber attacks. But even with the best systems in place, hackers can still easily breach the company\u2019s defenses if staff aren\u2019t also being security conscious.<\/p>\n

T\"Intel<\/a>he Business Insider<\/a><\/em> spoke with Christopher Young<\/a>, general manager of\u00a0Intel<\/a>‘s (INTC<\/a>) Security Group<\/a> (aka McAfee) about cybersecurity. He told<\/a> BI<\/em>\u00a0that employees can prevent data theft. The Intel GM says there are two things that every employee<\/strong> should be doing to help keep their company safe<\/strong> from cybercriminals<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThink before you click<\/strong>. That is the number one thing that every average employee in an organization can do,<\/em>\u201d Intel’s Young said. \u00a0He cites a recent Intel survey of security professionals<\/a>\u00a0(PDF),\u00a0which found that humans are still the weakest link<\/strong> when it comes to an organization\u2019s security. According to the report, successful attacks against companies most often stem from three things:<\/p>\n

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  1. \"humans<\/a>User errors caused by lack of awareness<\/strong>,<\/li>\n
  2. Unofficial use of online services<\/strong>, and<\/li>\n
  3. Using social media<\/strong> sites at work.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Basically, employees are clicking links they shouldn\u2019t be, which can give attackers a way in.\u00a0One way attackers get in is through the inbox. Mr. Young told BI<\/em><\/p>\n

    Emails are the number one<\/strong> way that attackers are getting in … They [cyber criminals] are crafting emails and attaching malicious files to those emails and their entry points into these organizations is often through tricking the average user or click on an email attachment and launch a malicious file.<\/em><\/p>\n

    \"employeesI recently wrote<\/a> how attackers have honed their spear-phishing<\/a><\/strong> skills, making dangerous emails less obvious. BI <\/em>says employees need to be vigilant and ask questions about all the email they receive that raises even the slightest suspicion. Intel’s Young warns staff to question every email<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    You should ask why am I getting the email? Why is there a file attached to it? Why am I being asked to click on it? And you should ask all of this before clicking.<\/em><\/p>\n

    The second big thing which Business Insider<\/em> recommends that employees should do to help keep their company safe is to report any suspicious emails or attachments<\/strong>. And if someone does click on a link or download a file that raises eyebrows, report it as soon as possible so that the company\u2019s security team can investigate quickly. Mr. Young explains that an early alert can help contain an attack<\/strong>.\u00a0\u201cSo if the average employee smells something they should report it.\u201d<\/p>\n

    rb-<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

    \"report<\/a>The IT industry needs to develop a mascot like Smokey the Bear who reminds everybody that “Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires.”<\/em><\/p>\n

    Maybe we could put Clippy<\/a> back to work to pop a little reminder every time you click on an email to open it.<\/em><\/p>\n

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