Email Scams
SA Post Office Warns Customers of New Email Scam
Image sourced from isnews.stir.ac.uk The South African Post Office has sent an alarm to customers about fraudulent e-mails that are designed to make the receiver pay money into a scam account. The bogus emails appear as if they are coming from the Post Office and are titled, “Your package could not be delivered”. They also state that in order for a customer to receive their package they have to pay a certain fee and they include a link, according to Tech Central. “Should the receiver click on the link, a page called Bureau de Poste d’Afrique du Sud opens, requesting payment to ‘release’ the fictitious parcel. The official language of communication for the Post Office is English and no communication is done in French. The website features a photo of the gable of the historic Vredefort post ...
How to Secure Your Remote Work Environment from Cybersecurity Threats
Sourced from International IDEA Cybersecurity threats are at an all-time high. With organizations increasingly employing hybrid work models, it has become more vital than ever to educate employees on the various cybersecurity risks that come with a distributed work environment. In a hybrid work environment, employees working from home pose a greater security risk compared to those working at the office. Home networks are less secured than corporate networks, unprotected by in-office firewalls and advanced fraud detection systems. In the comfort of one’s home, a small mistake by an employee could potentially risk the company’s confidential data being leaked. However, risks like data leaks and device compromise can be managed by following certain best practices. Here are some of the practice...
How to Be Safe From the “Reset Password” Email Scam
Image sourced form Broad Media Most online services have built-in security systems that alert employees when the systems detect “unusual” activity on their accounts. For example, legitimate email services or similar will send notifications about attempts to reset the phone number and e-mail address linked to the account, or the password. Of course, as soon as such messages became commonplace, enterprising cybercriminals tried to imitate this mechanism to attack corporate users. As cyberattacks rely on the human factor more often each year, and as cybersecurity technologies progress, such tricks are becoming more and more common and are being registered in multiple mailouts around the world. The scenario is usually as follows: if it’s a public online service attacker it will usually make ev...
Need an Edge to Your Business? Take a Fresh Look At Your Security Strategy
Sourced from International IDEA As we all start to get a better view of what the future might hold, organisations need to look again at their security strategy. But first, we need to take stock. After the initial shock of lockdowns and mass remote working, what have we learned from the past two years as we all attempted to adjust to the new reality? You’re working in a landscape of increasing threats and vulnerabilities The widespread shift to the cloud to support those working remotely has inadvertently created a much larger attack surface. The sheer number of new locations, devices, and networks organisations are managing today alone calls for a security rethink – a need that’s magnified by a year-on-year increase in threats. And the pandemic has magnified the problem, sending a huge wav...
3 Most Common Cyberscams that Compromise Business Emails
Image sourced from Forbes. Online security firm Kaspersky reports that its cybersecurity experts are increasingly observing BEC (Business Email Compromise) attacks online. Between May and July 2021, Kaspersky says that its security products prevented more than 9,500 BEC attacks globally, including those against businesses in air transportation, industry, retail, IT, and delivery. Such attacks demand significant time and resources, and preparation for them may last from a few weeks to several months. One successful attack may lead to damage worth many millions for a company. During a BEC attack, fraudsters usually initiate an email exchange with a company employee in order to gain their trust and encourage actions that are detrimental to the interest of the company or its clients. To do thi...
Beware of Scammers – 4 Tips to Spot Digital Banking Fraud
Sourced from Pure Cloud Solutions To prevent becoming the victim of fraudsters, it’s vital to be on guard, especially when using transactional, card-based accounts linked to cheque and savings accounts. Vijay Naidoo, CIO at Old Mutual Finance, pointed out that “…transactional accounts are among the most commonly used accounts, which means they are prime targets for scammers.” “Scammers are continually finding new ways to gain access to personal banking information and use it to defraud unsuspecting customers. So, banks need to continually upgrade their security systems, while consumers need to be informed and alert.” Phishing involves sending what appears to be an official email notification from an institution. If you open the message, malware is installed on your computer and account inf...
There are 577 Malware Attacks in South Africa Every Hour, Research Shows
Sourced from Republic Title The 2019 KnowBe4 African Report found that the continent is increasingly vulnerable to cyber-attacks. The report highlighted how vulnerable users were when it came to recognising cyber-threats and managing their risk profiles. In 2020, Accenture released a report entitled ‘Insight into the Cyberthreat Landscape in South Africa’ that revealed that there are around 577 malware attacks every hour, many of them are unsuccessful, however. Cybercrime has turned towards Africa and is putting its people and organisations at risk. “With cybercrime shifting its attention towards emerging economies and with Africa’s internet penetration about to double to one billion internet users by 2022, the African continent has become an attractive target for cybercrime,” says Anna Co...
