The City of Niceville has seen an uptick in cases of phishing and social engineering attacks over the past month.
- These attacks can come in the form of text messages, emails, instant messaging, and social media direct messaging.
These emails and links are designed to steal data from individuals such as usernames and passwords. Additionally, they can be the gateway to fraud, identity theft, and theft of monetary values or items such as credit cards or bank account information.
When it comes to attacks against businesses or companies (or a municipality like Niceville), employees can be exploited to gain access past security systems and firewalls. This establishes a foothold as part of a larger attack into such systems, which allows the attackers to gain sensitive information more easily.
“Businesses are constantly under attack from phishing, and so are individuals,” said Jason Monroe, Bit-Wizards. “How often have you opened your email with messages that look legit and want you to click a link to submit further information? This is the simplest form of phishing.”
According to Monroe, phishing really isn’t an attack but is a setup for the actual cyberattack.
“Once the cyber-criminal has the information they need from an unsuspecting employee, they may be able to gain entry into your network or systems and cause untold amounts of chaos,” he said.
So far, all of the attacks have been caught by Niceville’s network security, but as an employee, or even a citizen, there are ways to be protected against these attacks. It’s important to first understand what to look for. Suspicious emails can be detected by noticing what looks off or wrong in a typical email.
- A guide from Bit-Wizards shows how you can stay safe and aware.
