Macro Systems Blog

With digital technology taking on a greater importance for businesses than ever before, companies have to contend with a variety of threats, including increasingly popular phishing scams, regardless of their geographical location.

Phishing is one of the most prevalent issues individuals and businesses must confront when operating online. This is because there are literally billions of these scam attempts sent each day. That’s right, billions. With over a hundred billion scam attempts sent every year, your business is already getting phished, it’s just a matter of time before someone falls for it.

The constant fear of falling victim to scams has become a harsh reality and is far from ideal. That being said, the good news is that there is always time to acquire the skills needed to avoid such scams. Listed below are ways to enhance awareness regarding the challenges posed by scams, not only in a business context but also in everyday life.

Phishing is a very dangerous, very real threat to today's businesses, which makes it extremely imperative that you and your whole team are prepared to spot and mitigate it. One simple framework to do so is known as the SLAM method, so let’s take a few moments to review some tips for using it.

We talk about phishing often here, and one method that usually flies under the radar is smishing, or phishing that is conducted via SMS messages. Although email phishing is perhaps the most common method of conducting these scams, you should also be prepared to take on smishing, as it comes with its own share of unique challenges and dangers.

Scams are everywhere in our highly digitized world, which makes it especially imperative that everyone is prepared to deal with them—both personally and professionally. The publication Consumer Reports’ cover feature for its August 2023 edition is dedicated to exactly this goal: helping its readers avoid the various scams and threats out there. Listed below is some of the advice shared in the article, and compare it to the best practices we recommend.

Amazon Prime subscribers recently received an email from the online marketplace warning them of the prevalence of scams that took advantage of their offerings and brand recognition. Listed below is the advice that this email shared, and how it compares to the best practices we recommend for avoiding scams.

Of all the cybersecurity threats out there for your business to deal with, there are going to be a few of them that are more likely to impact you than others. That’s just a statistical reality. Listed below is how these threats can be addressed.

AI, also known as artificial intelligence, has been a trending topic lately, with it seemingly being used for any purpose you can imagine nowadays. Alas, this has also included cybercrime.

That being said, just as AI can be a weapon for cybercriminals to utilize, it can also be a shield to help protect your business from threats. For instance, in phishing prevention.

Phishing attacks have been prominent in cybercrime the past few years, not only due to their efficacy but also because there are so many avenues wherein phishing can be attempted. The first that comes to mind is email, naturally, but you and your team need to keep these others in mind.

Take, for example, a phishing voicemail…dubbed, naturally, a “phoicemail.”

I’m talking about when the heir to the Nigerian throne would reach out to your Gmail account to help him secure his inheritance, or when an attractive woman or man you’ve never met before would email you out of nowhere asking if you were single; spam has always been annoying, but back then, it was clearly just junk that could be ignored.

These days it’s not so simple.

Say you’ve been infected by a ransomware attack, and (against our advice) you’ve elected to pay the ransom. That’s the biggest cost that comes with it, right?

Alas, wrong. A ransomware attack comes with a lot more financial impact than just the payment the attacker demands. Listed below are some of these other costs that can actually outpace that of the ransom.

Let me ask you a few questions: how confident are you that you could spot an online ruse, and did you know there’s a stain on your shirt right now?

Did you look?

If so, you’ve just fallen for the school playground version of social engineering, a serious threat. Let’s discuss the kind that you’re more likely to see in terms of your business’ cybersecurity.

We’ve all seen our friends and family sharing quizzes on their social media profiles, prompting people to find out what their celebrity stage name or what Hogwarts house you would be in. These fun, lighthearted quizzes are a solid way to get to know a little more about the people we’re connected with… and that’s the biggest issue.

Phishing is one of those threats that has been around for a while, and as time passes by, only become more difficult to identify. Some businesses can’t tell the difference between phishing scams and actual emails. Listed below are steps your organization can take toward properly identifying and responding to phishing emails.

Even the most cautious employee could fall victim to a well-placed phishing email. What are some factors that contribute to the success of these cyberattacks, and what subject lines in particular should people be cautious about? A recent study takes a look at what goes into a successful phishing attack, and you might be surprised by the results.

Out of all the email messages you get throughout the workday, how many of them are spam messages or malicious emails from hackers? You don’t need us to tell you that spam and phishing emails are a serious problem, but sometimes they can be hard to identify, especially to the untrained or uninformed eye. Listed below are some of the telltale signs of spam and phishing emails, as well as how you should react to them.

With email being such a significant part of doing business, phishing has become a popular tool of many scammers. To fight back, it is critical that you know how to recognize a phishing email, so we’re dedicating some time to doing just that.

While it initially sounds promising to hear that the number of data breaches seen last year went down significantly, it is critical to understand that the number of data records leaked as a result more than doubled. One clear cause was the resurgence in the use of the underhanded malware variety known as ransomware. With this suggesting an increased threat of ransomware incoming, can you confidently say that your business’ team is ready to deal with it?

Having success in business usually relies on building trustworthy relationships. You have to trust your vendors and suppliers to get you the resources you require, you need to trust your staff to complete their tasks without putting your business in harm's way, and you need to trust your customers to purchase the products and services that you offer. Running counter to these necessary bonds of trust are people actively soliciting people’s time, energy, money, and attention for their own selfish purposes.