“Hi, Justin. Here’s the report you wanted for today’s meeting. Click the link to download it.”
“Emily, please send me the login info for accounting ASAP. I’m on a new phone and need access.”
Smishing is a type of phishing attack that uses text messages to trick people into clicking on malicious links or providing sensitive information. It is a growing threat to businesses of all sizes as bad actors attempt to steal data and access financial accounts.
It’s highly likely you’ve received a smishing text or other phishing attacks on your personal mobile device. Robokiller Enterprises’s tracker shows that billions of scam texts are sent each month. In fact, one report estimates that a cyberattack occurs every 39 seconds, affecting one in three Americans. But many of us have learned to ignore calls labeled “Spam Risk” and to be wary of unsolicited emails with attachments or links.
Hackers know that businesses will answer the phone and open emails or texts, increasing the odds of a phishing attack reaching its target. Plus, the potential jackpot from accessing enterprise financial accounts and company data is much higher than what can be stolen from the average individual.
Thus the rise of “spear phishing” which sends apparently legitimate counterfeit messages to individuals within an organization. These customized attacks often use social engineering to exploit human vulnerabilities — such as the desire to please a boss — combined with a sense of urgency to provide sensitive information.
Norton reports that 88% of organizations are targeted by spear phishing attempts every year.
In 2021, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received 19,954 business email compromise (BEC) and email account compromise (EAC) complaints with adjusted losses of nearly $2.4 billion. And those are just the phishing attempts that were reported.
You might view spam calls and texts as an annoying part of doing business. Fielding these unwanted communications certainly wastes time and derails productivity.
But they also pose a critical threat to your company. According to IBM, in 2021 the average organization took 286 days to identify and contain a data breach.
If a bad actor obtains access to your operations or accounts, the results can be swift and catastrophic:
Small and medium businesses (SMBs) are especially attractive targets for hackers because they usually have fewer security precautions in place. Attacks on multiple SMBs also have the potential for significant payoffs without garnering the level of media and law enforcement attention that comes from attacking larger companies.
It only takes one person falling for a scam text to compromise your business. Fortunately, you can take steps to protect your employees and reduce the risk of a security breach.
Download A Practical Checklist for Mobile Device Safety in Business
This might include discussing password hygiene, turning on device encryption, and requiring a strong personal identification number (PIN) on all devices used for company tasks. Regular training sessions keep security top of mind and teach employees how to identify smishing or other phishing attacks.
An effective plan includes ensuring software and devices are updated regularly, requiring secure passwords or biometrics, and knowing what to do if and when an attack occurs.
Robokiller Enterprise is the only app that blocks 99 percent of spam calls and texts. Powered by award-winning technology and endorsed by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC), Robokiller Enterprise is the number one solution on the market for fighting spam calls and texts.
Ready to protect your employees and your business against the dangers of spam? Try Robokiller Enterprise free for 15 days.
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