Cyber security experts of Applied Connective warn of rise in BEC & AiTM attacks

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Cyber attacks on organizations of every size have been on an alarmingly steep rise as of late—specifically business email compromise (BEC) and adversary in the middle (AiTM) attacks, which are some of the most financially damaging (think wire fraud and ACH fraud). 

Though these tactics are more devious and sophisticated than ever, they are preventable!

We feel a sense of urgency and obligation to implore our customers to be extremely cautious in your email handling practices and online activity, and ALWAYS VERIFY the legitimacy of a request before taking any action. It costs nothing to pick up the phone and call the supposed sender of an email before changing their payment information, for instance.

In recent months, it has gutted us to witness many Nebraska businesses fall victim to substantial cyber fraud.

If you are a managed IT client of ours, know that we have many layers of security in place to protect your organization. However, having the best seat belt, air bag, and car insurance doesn’t mean you should drive recklessly. A highly sophisticated AiTM attack on a naive end-user can still cause damage and cost your company in dollars, data, and damage to your reputation.

Knowledge is power.

An educated end-user is an empowered one and is far less likely to be duped or deceived. Below, we’ve included more information about the workings of these attacks as well as best practices for handling questionable emails.

Please share this information with your team or organization, as the end-user is your last line of defense.

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What is business email compromise?

Business email compromise (BEC) is an exploit and often a phishing attack in which an attacker obtains access to a business email account and imitates the mailbox owner’s identity in order to defraud the company and its employees, customers, or partners. The culprit poses as a trusted figure, then asks for a fake bill to be paid or for sensitive data they can use in another scam. BEC scams are on the rise due to increased remote work—there were nearly 20,000 BEC complaints to the FBI last year. BEC incidents can lead to potential data theft and ransomware deployment as the attacker gains knowledge and understanding of business systems.

What is an AiTM attack?

This is a type of attack that involves session hijacking. It may originate from a compromised trusted vendor and transition into “adversary in the middle,” in which the attacker waits for a victim to log into an application (such as a banking or email account), and then swoops in to steal the session cookie. The attacker then uses the cookie to log into the owner’s account but, instead, from the attacker’s browser. This allows the attacker to bypass MFA methods for a time determined by the cookie expiration period, which may be minutes, hours, or days.

Tips and Pointers on Spotting and Handling BEC & AiTM attacks

The key practice we want to stress (and it is absolutely free and effective) is:

ALSO IMPORTANT:

BOTTOM LINE:

If a request is unusual, unprompted, uncharacteristic of the sender, urges you to perform a task, or involves financial or other personal sensitive information, it warrants a phone call (or if they’re in your office, a face to face).

As always, please call or email us with any questions or concerns. Your security is our priority.

 

And ask us about cyber security awareness training! We’ll periodically test your organization’s end-users with fake phishing emails to identify areas where you may be vulnerable, and we’ll follow up with specific targeted education and training.

 

Stay vigilant and stay safe!

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“Lakeview Community Schools has enjoyed our partnership with Applied Connective. They have been incredibly responsive, knowledgeable, and cooperative as we have worked together. Applied Connective has provided a team-like atmosphere in their service!”

Aaron Plas, Superintendent

Lakeview Community Schools

“We have been very pleased with their communication, efficiency, and customer service over the course of the last few years. We would highly recommend ACT to any other schools out there looking for a reliable partner for your technology needs.”

Brandon Detlefsen, Technology Director

Central City Public Schools

“Their service is always reliable and timely, and the staff are very knowledgeable and friendly. Our needs are their #1 priority! Boone Central is beyond grateful to have top-of-the line technology services and customer support.”

Nicole Hardwick, Superintendent

Boone Central Public Schools

“They’ve been with us every step of the way as we implemented phone systems, security cameras, and keypad doors. Their customer service is second to none, and their business knowledge is outstanding.”

Ronda Weber, Technology Coordinator

Burwell Public School

Applied Connective did an amazing job with our school security cameras. They were very professional and easy to work with. [They’re] patient with our questions and quickly respond when we need some direction. The cameras work great and are very easy to access. Thank you for a job well done!”

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St. Anthony's School

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My role as a general technician at Applied Connective is primarily to work with the AVS crew to install and configure surveillance, security, Internet, and voice technologies.

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My role as an AVS technician at Applied Connective is to work with the AVS team to install and configure surveillance, security, internet, and voice technologies.

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Voice Technician

My job is to do whatever Ed tells me to. Just kidding…sort of. I am part of the voice group.

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Telecom / IT Technician

As a Telecom/IT Technician, I work with traditional and hosted phone systems.

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Level 2 IT Technician

I’m part of the IT team at Applied Connective, so my days are spent setting up new PCs for customers; troubleshooting broken PCs, printers, etc., and installing new hardware.  

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I’m in charge of creative content development and marketing—advertising, design, copywriting, PR, and social media as well as coordinating our philanthropy efforts—a wide variety, and I love it.

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AVS Service Technician

I provide and coordinate technical services and support for infrastructure, access control, surveillance, and audio/video solutions.

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VP of Business Development

My role here at Applied Connective centers on business development, so that involves assisting our team in focusing on value-added processes as well as leveraging technology to provide solutions for our business partners that support them in continued success and growth.

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