INSIs Cybersecurity prevention helps small and medium-sized businesses protect themselves against a silent sworn enemy – spoofing. Cybercriminals launch spoofing attacks on our government, citizens, and businesses in the cyber realm. This article explores how you can protect your business from this destructive enemy.
Cyberwar Spoofing and Your Atlanta Business
Today, a global cyber war is in full force. It’s one we can’t see, hear, or touch. In fact, our biggest enemy is eerily quiet and inconspicuous. Unfortunately, this silent and invisible enemy crawls at a super-sonic speed over the Internet instead of wars on the battleground. It looks for private US citizens and businesses to devour. Of course, the weapon I am speaking of is Spoofing.
How Spoofing Works
Spoofing can attack through email, websites, phone, text, and even MACs. It impersonates the victim by using their email address, phone number, or IP address as their own and tricking others into divulging information or clicking on a link.
A great example of spoofing is emails that appear to come from banks, credit card companies, or friends with urgent messages to click a link, which is likely a spoofing email. Unfortunately, once it finds a weakness, it spreads quickly throughout the body infecting everything in sight. Most egregiously, it plunders its victim’s treasures, impersonates them, and disables their infrastructure.
INSI Cybersecurity Prevention for IP Spoofing
This attack weapon is the most egregious in the United States, accounting for 25-29% of all attacks worldwide. Subsequently, this attack impersonates the victim’s IP address as their own. Its goal is to spoof multiple destination email addresses with unsolicited emails and trigger misguided packets. As a result, too many packets can overwhelm its victim and shut down its network and Internet connections. Interestingly, this type of attack is called a Denial-of-Service Attack, where too much data rushes the victim’s system; and it can’t function anymore.
IP Spoofing Signs & Prevention Techniques
Typical symptoms of a DDoS attack include network slowdown, intermittent intranet downtime, or periodic website shutdowns.
INSI cybersecurity prevention techniques can help you avoid IP spoofing by using a combination of advanced intrusion prevention and threat management systems. Of course, this requires current firewalls, VPN, anti-spam, content filtering, load balancing, and other layers of DDoS defense techniques. Together, they provide constant and consistent network protection.
Email Spoofing Prevention Tips
Phishing emails usually incorporate email spoofing techniques. In this case, the email appears to come from a legitimate source, whether by email, domain, or phone number. Of course, the goal is to get the user to download Ransomware or divulge personal information.
Signs of Email Spoofing
There are obvious signs it is a spoofing email. First, ensure the sender’s name matches their email address. Often, this is the difference between one symbol, number, or letter. In addition, the heading and greeting are unclear or generic. Examples include a simple “hello” with no name. Last, look for a request to click on something.
Prevention Techniques for Email Spoofing
INSI cybersecurity prevention recommends testing and training to avoid phishing and email spoofing. For example, INSI engineers send a phishing test to all end users and train those who fail the test. In addition, we inform our existing clients with “How To articles to protect email, avoid spear phishing, smishing, and regular phishing attacks.
INSI Cybersecurity Prevention for Phone & Text Spoofing
Phone spoofing is the most invasive form of spoofing. In this situation, the caller deliberately misrepresents information on your caller-ID to disguise their identity. Interestingly, the United States only considers it illegal if the call intends to defraud, cause harm, or wrongfully obtain anything of value.
Signs of Phone & Text Spoofing
Spoof calls and texts appear to come from a local number or government agency like the Social Security Office or IRS. The key to recognizing a spoof call is the caller asks for personal information, or they have a recording that gives you options. In that case, keep your information private and hang up immediately. Even clicking an option can give your identity away.
Prevention Techniques for Phone & Text Spoofing
The Federal Trade Commission (FCC) gives the best cybersecurity prevention steps for phone spoofing, including:
- Don’t answer a call from an unknown number.
- If you have to answer the call, don’t press any buttons.
- Never give out personal information.
- If a company calls and you are not expecting them, hang up and call them back on the number found on the company’s website.
- Use caution if you are pressured for information immediately.
- Set a password for your voicemail.
- Talk to your phone company about call-blocking tools and check into apps to download to your mobile device.
Summary
Spoofing has caused some of the most significant attacks on US soil. In addition, it can wreak havoc on personal and professional devices. For this reason, we advise end-users to analyze every email and phone call. (It only takes a few seconds.) Most importantly, work with our engineers to ensure you have the proper cybersecurity preventive measures. As always, INSI will do everything possible to keep your data and systems safe.
INSI: The Best MSP in Atlanta!
INSI is the Top Managed Service Provider in Atlanta. We offer complete IT support packages for clients without internal IT and a la carte customized packages for small IT departments. Most importantly, we only charge the client for the exact service and level they need.
Interestingly, this unique support model has proven to save the client money and greatly complemented the client’s internal IT strengths.
About the Author
Deborah Frazier is the author of IT Outsourcing Secrets – A Small Business Guide to Compare IT Support Companies. Most importantly, she has over 20 years of experience consulting small and medium-sized businesses on their IT support needs and brings a wealth of knowledge to INSI as Head of Marketing and Sales. If you like this article and would want to be notified when a new article is posted, click here.
