THE GRIM REALITY OF CYBER THEFT
04th Dec 2018How to ensure you are not a victim Cyber theft
With the everyday pressures of end of month deadlines, audits and general day-to-day business, one of the last things you’d think you have to be concerned about is cyber theft. Think again.
Unfortunately, cyber theft is not only here to stay but is on the rise. Amongst the hard-working, dedicated workforce that works to earn their well-deserved pennies, there are those ruthless few who aim to benefit by the misfortune of others in the way of cyber theft.
The prolific use of technology in our everyday lives seems to have opened up the gates to cyber theft in ways we could never imagine. A case dating back to 2014 saw hackers steal $50 000 from a Broome real estate agency after they hacked into the company’s online banking system. Unfortunately, their tales are not uncommon.
Insurance companies are claiming that cyber theft is indeed one of their most common forms of insurance claims. It is becoming the norm for everyone to know someone who has fallen victim.
Luckily, with the help of Jane Morgan from End of Month Angels the trust accounting specialist, there are steps you can take to ensure you do not fall victim to one of these despicable plays.
7 WAYS TO PROTECT YOURSELF AGAINST CYBER THEFT
- Ensure your insurance covers cyber theft. With the large sums of money that these con artists can swindle away from unsuspecting businesses, you need to ensure you are covered against any losses.
- Cyber theft artists prey on the goodwill of people and their willingness to assume the best in others. Ensure to train your staff to always be vigilant when it comes to suspicious emails. Never open, click or forward on any dodgy looking emails. Just delete and move on.
- Password protect everything and keep those passwords in a secure location. Also make sure to mix up your passwords by not having the one password for all your accounts and systems, and/or changing your passwords regularly.
- Back up your data that isn’t attached to your network. We have covered the key steps and tips to backing up your data in a previous article. Make copies in different formats to ensure your data is safe and secure.
- Make sure your antivirus software is up-to-date. This is one of those painful tasks we always throw into the ‘I’ll do that tomorrow basket’ (Yes, we all do). So make a promise to yourself to prioritise doing a health check on your antivirus software this week.
- Don’t be afraid to ban certain sites in the office by having security firewalls. The security of your business is paramount and any steps you need to take to ensure your information, money and identity remains safe is crucial.
- Have your IT person on speed dial. Hopefully you won’t need it, but having a good relationship with your IT company means you can act fast if the worst ever does happen.
In Conclusion
We like to know that our cyber safety is in good hands. Our trusted friends at Creative Folks IT have also written an article talking “RANSOMWARE” from their viewpoint. It’s critical that your client’s details are protected and your system is safe from compromise. Even big companies like Sony have got into trouble and Real Estate Agents & Buyers agents are no exception as a target for hackers.
If you would like to discuss issue or need your trust account audited for 2017 please contact us.
Just remember – without sounding creepy – just because you can’t see them doesn’t mean they aren’t there. Protect yourself and your business and safe cyber safe.
