Why IT support can help protect your business from cyberattack

Sometimes, cyberattacks work not because of their complexity or cleverness, but simply because they look the part of a legitimate service provider. This was the case in the latest round of phishing attacks that targeted Gmail users, convincing victims to click on a link that sent them to what was,  for all intents and purposes, an official-looking Google Doc invite. The attack has since been addressed and shut down, but not before it spread like wildfire thanks to how convincingly it looked the part.

Preventing such attacks comes down to individual habits and adopting prudent, proactive cybersecurity habits. For business IT, this means ensuring everyone is up to speed with best-practise procedures, as a single person can unwittingly compromise the confidential data of an entire organisation.

Preventing such attacks comes down to individual habits and adopting prudent, proactive cybersecurity habits.

Thankfully, with the right IT support, businesses can accurately assess and manage risks like the above phishing attack to ensure their technology remains robust no matter the security threats may come their way.

Why was the phishing attack so effective?

Phishing attacks are fraudulent emails that appear to come from legitimate sources, tricking users into unknowingly giving up acess permission and private information. In this case, those affected would have received an email in their inbox inviting them to view a ‘shared’ Google Doc. Following the link takes you to a screen that asks you to provide permission for an app called ‘Google Docs’ to access your emails and contacts list. Obviously, none of this was actually done by Google, yet it looked authentic enough to trick many people world-wide. You can see the specifics of the attack (without testing it yourself) below:

While the Google Docs scam has been stopped, according to Google, there is little to stop copycat scammers from attempting a similar attack. It’s important to be vigilant and sceptical when interacting online, not just for avoiding potentially harmful scams.

Can IT support help offset cybersecurity risk?

Businesses that rely on day-to-day interactions online need to have a strategy to manage and minimise cybersecurity risks. Educating employees on correct online habits can help, but managing risk requires ongoing attention.

For this reason, support from an IT services company becomes a smart investment. IT support helps identify security risks to you and your organisation, helping both educate organisations on best-practise techniques, as well as building a robust solution that takes security responsibility off the shoulders of individuals. Ongoing IT support also ensures that your business won’t lag behind in the world of cybersecurity.

To find out more, get in touch with the team at Imagetext Integrated Solutions today.