Multi-factor Authentication Simple But Effective
Business email is compromised on a daily basis, but often, it is overshadowed by ransomware. Those affected by ransomware typically make more noise due to the price tag attached. The FBI has recently warned small to mid-size organizations that business email compromises are on the rise, specifically for users of Microsoft Office 365 and Google G Suite. If it scares you that Microsoft and Google have been targeted, it shouldn’t. You can’t be the best until you beat the best is the motto of cybercriminals. The fix is easy…….activate multi-factor authentication in your business.
Business email compromise is were cybercriminals break into a business email account and look for evidence of financial transactions, later impersonating employees to redirect payments to themselves. They will often also launch phishing attacks on contacts to grab even more credentials, and so the crime feeds itself a steady supply of new victims. You may be a small business, but you have plenty to offer a cybercriminal.
The biggest question is why business email compromise scams continue to be such a problem when it’s common knowledge they can be defended against using technologies such as multi-factor authentication (MFA). Smaller organizations are famously known for running older email systems which don’t support such technologies.
The answer is simple. If you are running a legacy system that doesn’t even offer multi-factor authentication, you need to stop what you are doing and upgrade. Enable multi-factor authentication for all email accounts. The FBI also recommends that you prohibit legacy protocols that can be used to circumvent multi-factor authentication, although this needs to be done with care as some older applications might still depend on these.
Be smart. Turn on multi-factor authentication in your business. If this is not an option, give us a call. 2W Tech is a technology service provider specializing in solutions for the manufacturing industry. We have IT Consultants on staff that specialize in security solutions. 2W Tech is also a Microsoft Gold Partner. We can help your organization use the right tools to fight against cybercrime.
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