Technology Advisor Blog

Have you ever been hooked to a phishing attempt? Did you know that phishing is involved in 70% of breaches? Whether it’s an email, phone call, or text message, these are some of the common ways bad actors use to obtain your personal and financial information for malicious gain. Phishing emails were introduced into our lives decade(s) ago and have grown increasingly creative and sophisticated with native language use and perfect grammar.

You've got mail!  You see the notification - someone just filled out your website's contact form.  Your heart skips.  Could it be a new client?  As soon as you read the inquiry, your smile begins to fade as you realize it's just another bot selling you something (or worse!).

Whether it's your email or website, contact forms are a vital part to any form of communication. It’s a great opportunity for potential leads and clients to get into contact to ask questions, get to know your business, and request products and services. While it is great to have an outlet for communication for existing and potential clients, spam messages aren’t too far behind. When spam messages begin to flood your inbox with messages that are irrelevant, contain bots and even posing security risks, it makes guiding through contact form submissions a time consuming effort. Contact form spam can cost you and your business time, security and potentially missed opportunities.

How hackers use AI for phishing attacks has become more advanced, making standard email security measures inadequate for protection. Modern cybercriminals leverage artificial intelligence to create convincing emails with flawless grammar, personal details from social media, and context-aware content that can deceive your most alert employees.  No more language barriers in cyber crime!

Starting May 5, 2025, all businesses - regardless of size - must meet Microsoft’s stricter email authentication requirements when sending to Outlook, Hotmail, and Live addresses. These changes are designed to reduce spoofing and impersonation, aligning with similar updates from Google and Yahoo to improve overall email security.

With the development of generative AI becoming more sophisticated for both positive and malicious intent, it’s no surprise there has been an increased surge of cybercrime happening all around the world.
In 2024 alone, we can see these reflect in the 33% increased losses in the US compared to the previous year 2023. According to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), losses from cybercrime in 2024 exceeded $16 billion, with the top three causes of financial loss stemming from phishing, extortion, and personal data breaches. Important note: When it comes to data incidents, the difference in context is that data incidents are suspicious activity occurring across accounts. A data breach refers to the confirmation of systems being given unauthorized access with malicious intent with financial loss.

Cybersecurity and AI have become inseparable forces that create immediate risks to local businesses, regardless of size. Small organizations are now prime targets for criminals who use artificial intelligence to automate attacks, making every business vulnerable.

Major corporate breaches grab headlines, yet the silent wave of cyber attacks on local companies goes unreported, leaving many business owners with a dangerous false sense of safety. Your organization needs basic protective steps that could prevent most attacks, along with cost-effective solutions to shield your business from financial losses and reputation damage. The stakes are high - companies that fall victim to these attacks often struggle to keep their doors open.

As we embrace the Spring season and the promise of April showers bringing May flowers, we also enter the busy and often stressful time of tax season. This period sees a high volume of sensitive financial information being exchanged as individuals file their taxes in hopes of securing refunds. Unfortunately, it’s also a time when scammers are at their most active, tirelessly seeking ways to deceive taxpayers and exploit their financial situations.

If you frequently travel for work around the Massachusetts area (or even beyond), you may have noticed an alarming rise in text scams known as smishing pretending to be from E-ZPass. These fraudulent messages claim that you owe unpaid tolls from recent travel, and they often pressure you to make an immediate payment on unpaid toll bills. E-ZPass recently has issued a mass email warning of its customers. These scams are not just isolated to New England, they have spread as far as California, where their toll system is known as FastTrak.

Cybersecurity threats create unique challenges for small businesses. With smaller budgets and potentially weaker defenses, these companies often struggle to protect themselves against widespread attacks.  October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month and this is a great time to step up your cybersecurity awareness training with your team!

Ransomware threats are on the rise in recent years, and new threats are accelerating.  This type of malware is extremely destructive as it encrypts the files of infected users and locks you out of your own data unless you pay the ransom, typically in the form of Bitcoin cryptocurrency, which enables criminals to hide.  Its a big money maker for criminals, and as long as victims continue to pay the ransom, the threats will continue.