Fraud occurs when someone uses deception or manipulation to unfairly gain an advantage over you, often to acquire money, goods, services, or property dishonestly.
Some common types of fraud include:
Authorised Push Payment (APP), or bank transfer fraud, occurs when a scammer manipulates an individual into sending money from their bank account to the fraudsters under the impression it is for a legitimate reason. A frequent tactic includes impersonating a bank and persuading the victim that they need to move funds to a 'secure account' for safety purposes.
Identity fraud involves the unauthorised use of your personal information for deceptive purposes. Perpetrators may exploit this information to perform actions like opening new bank accounts, securing loans, or engaging in transactions under your name, potentially leading to further fraudulent activities against others.
Phishing is a cyberattack in which individuals are tricked into disclosing personal information like passwords and credit card numbers via fraudulent emails, messages, or websites. These scams mimic trustworthy sources to lure victims into clicking harmful links or sharing sensitive data, aiming to steal identities or funds.
Anyone can experience fraud, regardless of age, education, or financial status.
Fraudsters often target individuals, businesses, and organisations using tactics tailored to exploit specific vulnerabilities or situations.
While certain groups may be more frequently targeted due to perceived vulnerabilities or valuable information they possess, such as the elderly, online shoppers, or small businesses, the reality is that no one is immune to the risk of fraud.
Awareness, education, and preventive measures are vital to reducing one's risk of becoming a victim.
The BDO FraudTrack 2024 report reveals a significant rise in UK fraud, with a total of £2.3 billion reported, doubling from 2022 and marking a decade high.
BDO attributes the significant increase in fraud to the rising prevalence of online scams, including phishing attacks and security breaches, along with the surge in authorised push payment (APP) schemes, where individuals are tricked into sending money to fraudsters.
The FraudTrack 2024 report also highlights the emerging threat of fraudsters using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to target consumers more precisely and efficiently. This advancement underscores a significant shift towards more sophisticated and harder-to-detect methods of fraud, addressing a critical need for increased awareness and advanced protective measures among consumers.
Identity and Access Management (IAM) is a comprehensive framework involving a blend of policies, processes, and technologies designed to manage digital identities. The main goal of IAM is to enable authorised individuals access to the resources and information suitable to their roles while preventing unauthorised access to sensitive data. This balance ensures operational efficiency, compliance with regulatory standards, and protection against data breaches.
Initiated in 2021 by the National Cybersecurity Alliance, Identity Management Day is observed annually on the second Tuesday of April.
This significant day falls on Tuesday, the 9th of April 2024. It aims to elevate awareness among business leaders, IT professionals, and the general public regarding the crucial role of identity management. It encourages stakeholders to actively engage in practices that strengthen our digital security.
Neglecting strong identity management practices exposes individuals and organisations to significant risks. These include susceptibility to cybercrime, identity theft, and financial fraud.
The lack of effective identity management leads to data breaches within corporations and account takeovers for individuals.
Cybercrime can affect anyone possessing digital devices or online accounts, underlining the universal need for vigilant identity management.
On Saturday, 30th March, we were lucky enough to witness our very own Danilo (known as Thinking Critically DND on Twitch) smash his third year of "Game On."
Game On is a 12+ hour gaming marathon packed with forfeits and challenges for every money milestone raised. It is a yearly event that raises money and awareness for Naomi House & Jacksplace. This incredible charity improves the lives of children and young people facing life-limiting and life-threatening illnesses. Some of their services include respite care, end-of-life care, bereavement support, emergency respite, and family support.
Danilo's commitment to raising money for this fantastic cause was truly admirable. Beginning at 11 am, he started playing his two chosen games: 'Alone in the Dark'—set in 1920s Louisiana and challenging players to escape a haunted mansion—and 'Helldivers'—where players need to coordinate their actions during chaotic combat to complete objectives and avoid friendly fire casualties.
There was no delay in the donations beginning to flow in, it was clear from the offset that this stream would be a highly popular one.
Every spin on the forfeit/challenge wheel resulted from a donation of £20 or higher. Thinking critically, DND was a great sport, and he gladly dressed up in items from a box of various costumes, ate delicious spoonfuls of baby food mixed with different hot sauces, and played his games with 'upside down' glasses on. We witnessed the much-anticipated appearance of a fan-favourite challenge, where he skilfully applied various makeup products, including lipstick, eyeshadow, and blusher, that added to his look! And, of course, the "dirty shots" also made a comeback. This year's menu was a cocktail of Worcester, soy sauce and fish juice- yum!
Within 30 minutes, the first milestone, £100, had been hit. Fortunately for the audience, but unfortunately for Danilo, it was time for him to tuck into a raw onion! He made a good effort, but after a few bites, the tears started flowing! Luckily, he had more gameplay on Alone in the Dark and Helldivers to distract him.
By the time Thinking Critically DND had been streaming for 3 hours, the next milestone of £250 had been reached! This means it was time for the return of the leg wax. Even though he mentioned the sting the wax strips left a few times, he was a fan of how smooth he was after the challenge!
Discover how to protect your digital assets with advanced backup strategies, ensuring your data remains secure and recoverable.
It is a copy of data made to keep it safe in case it gets lost or damaged. This helps protect against unexpected problems like computer crashes, security issues, natural disasters, or accidental erasing.
They are stored on separate media or in remote locations, providing redundancy and resilience. They offer peace of mind, allowing for data recovery and continuity of operations. Data integrity, regular scheduling, security encryption, and backup success verification are vital elements.
Losing digital files is surprisingly common, much more than most people realise. It's easy to underestimate the fragility of digital data in our daily lives. Whether through accidental deletion, hardware failure, or even software corruption, the risk of losing precious documents, cherished photographs, or critical work projects is ever-present.
This vulnerability underscores the importance of being vigilant and proactive in protecting our digital assets. A seemingly minor oversight or a simple technical glitch can potentially erase irreplaceable memories and valuable information instantly.
Data from the world back up day.com A website found that 21% of people do not back up their data. Additionally, 113 phones are lost or stolen every minute.
The 3-2-1 strategy is a widely recognised data protection approach emphasising redundancy and resilience. It involves creating multiple copies of your data and storing them in diverse locations to ensure maximum protection against data loss. Here are the three components of the 3-2-1 backup strategy
The initial step of the 3-2-1 strategy involves making three versions of your data: the original and two extra copies. Having multiple copies ensures redundancy and reduces the risk of data loss in case one copy becomes inaccessible or corrupted.
The next step is to store copies of your data in two different types of storage media. This could include a combination of external hard drives, network-attached storage (NAS) devices, tape drives, or cloud storage. Using diverse storage media helps mitigate the risk of data loss due to hardware failures or compatibility issues.
Finally, one of the copies should be stored offsite, preferably in a remote location or cloud backup service. This ensures that even in a localised disaster such as fire, flood, or theft, your data remains safe and accessible from a separate geographical location.
By using the 3-2-1 strategy, you can protect your data from problems like hardware breakdowns, natural disasters, cyberattacks, and mistakes. This method keeps your data safe, giving you peace of mind. It ensures your important data is secure and available when needed.
Managed IT is a solution third-party companies provide to oversee and handle the IT needs of other organisations. It allows the client company to focus more on their core business activities rather than managing IT tasks.
Managed IT services, like ours, can cover various functions depending on the business's needs and the MSP's offerings. Typical services include the following:
Managed IT services provide cost savings, expertise, advanced technology, and improved security. They also allow businesses to focus on their core procedures without being distracted by IT issues. In today's blog, we will explore proactive monitoring in more depth.
As companies increasingly depend on technology, the significance of proactive monitoring has grown. This approach employs techniques and tools to identify and address potential problems before they escalate into significant issues.
By adopting preventive monitoring strategies, you can enhance the reliability and efficiency of your technology ecosystem, whether it involves managing IT systems, applications, or infrastructure.
Proactive monitoring includes continuously surveing computer systems, applications, and infrastructure to identify and rectify potential problems before they escalate into more significant issues. Proactive application monitoring aims to detect and resolve issues before they affect end users, clients, or business processes.
Various tools and methodologies collect and examine data, including system alerts, performance metrics, and event logs. This data is used to identify trends, patterns, and anomalies that could indicate a potential problem.
By doing this, companies can decrease downtime, enhance system performance and improve. In contrast, reactive monitoring waits to identify problems until they have caused substantial issues. This potentially can lead to costly downtime, data loss, and damage t
AT&T researchers discovered a clever phishing campaign. This campaign intercepted a Microsoft Teams chat group. It then sent DarkGate malware to the systems of unsuspecting victims. While many individuals are now somewhat familiar with the mechanics of phishing attacks, using a team chat as the delivery mechanism represents a novel and unexpected method.
Once the attackers had infiltrated the Teams chat, they utilised a domain ending in .onmicrosoft.com to send phishing emails. These emails tricked users into downloading a file that appeared legitimate but was, in fact, malicious.
Researchers found attackers used a hacked domain to send 1,000 harmful invitations to Teams group chats. During the chat, the attackers tricked the invitees into downloading a file called 'Navigating Future Changes October 2023.pdf.msi'.
Accepting this file prompted the malware download, which subsequently connected to its command-and-control server at hgfdytrywq[.]com for further instructions.
The attack was successful because users had enabled External Access in Microsoft Teams. This feature allowed them to send messages to users in other groups. Researchers have stated this as the reason for the attack's success.
As we enter the digital age, it's unsurprising that the London Underground needed an upgrade for better connectivity. A rollout of high-speed mobile network coverage will be available in stations and tunnels within the London underground complex.
By spring 2024, approximately 40 stations will benefit from enhanced mobile coverage, including 4G and 5G, according to an announcement made by Transport for London (TFL)
The first stations to receive the network upgrade are Oxford Circus, Tottenham Court Road and the central lines between stations. Mobile coverage will have a new Emergency Services Network (ESN), allowing first responders to quickly access life-saving information.
Safer Internet Day has never been more paramount in an era when our lives are increasingly intertwined with the digital world. Celebrated globally, this day reminds us of our collective responsibility to foster a safer online environment.
It's a day dedicated to promoting safer and more responsible use of online technology, including mobile phones, especially among children and young people worldwide. As we use the internet, businesses must join the conversation and protect their online presence.
The day pulls on three primary concepts to reflect on. These are as follows:
By embracing this approach, we aim to guide you towards safer, more informed online actions for yourself, your business, and your family.
The internet plays a massive part in our lives today, making it crucial for everyone to understand how to stay safe online. This day encourages individuals, educators, and organisations to take part in creating a better internet for everyone. From cyberbullying and social networking to digital identity management, the scope of this day covers a broad spectrum of internet safety topics.
It's a call to action for everyone to play their part in creating a safer digital environment through education, discussion, and proactive measures.
Regardless of size, businesses wield a considerable influence on the digital landscape. They are service providers and gatekeepers of vast amounts of personal data. In this context, businesses have a pivotal role in promoting internet safety. This includes implementing robust cyber security measures, ensuring data privacy, and fostering a culture of awareness and responsibility among employees and customers.
In the constantly changing business communication landscape, Voice over Internet Protocol remains a dependable and affordable option. In this blog, we'll take a closer look at the key trends expected to shape the future of business VoIP in 2024.
In the business world, AI is steadily becoming a fundamental element. As we approach the year 2024, we can anticipate the integration of AI-powered functionalities into VoIP systems.
These improvements will encompass virtual assistants for call management, instantaneous language translation, and the capability to assess customer interactions in terms of sentiment. The incorporation of AI is poised to enhance not only efficiency but also cultivate a communication experience that is more tailored and user-centric.
5G networks are poised to influence VoIP services. Thanks to faster, more reliable connectivity, businesses can expect improved call quality, reduced latency, and better performance overall.
VoIP service providers, including our company, will adapt their infrastructure to leverage the capabilities of 5G, offering businesses a smoother communication experience.
If your calendar doesn't mark January 28th as Data Privacy Day this Sunday, it's crucial to be aware. Recognising the significance of it is one aspect, but actively identifying potential privacy weaknesses and outlining actionable solutions is a different matter altogether.
Data privacy protects personal and sensitive data gathered, processed, stored, and shared digitally. It revolves around the right of individuals to have control over how their data is used by organisations, governments, or other entities.
Data privacy protects people's personal information by respecting their choices, keeping it confidential, and preventing unwarranted use or access.
There has never been this much data that exists now; only more will be created. It has been found that 54% of consumers say they would be willing to share their personal data to help improve AI products and decision-making. This means over half of consumers would give their information to better respond to AI.
With it seeming to be much easier to offer personal information, keeping private data safe is easier said than done in the digital age. With that said, here are some pointers that could help you and your business protect its sensitive information.
This proactive measure is essential for quickly detecting and addressing strange activities on your system logins or devices. Doing this allows you to block and change access and passwords to prevent breaches from reoccurring.
Encryption is like a secret code for your data, making it unreadable to anyone without the 'key.' This is crucial when data is sent over the internet and stored on your devices or servers.
Strong encryption methods and secure key management are essential for keeping your data private. Data encryption makes information unreadable to unknown individuals. This means that even if someone discovers your storage, they will be unable to access your private information.
Two-factor authentication (2FA) and Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) force users to present various types of identification before gaining entry to their accounts or data.
This may include a password, something they possess (such as a phone or token), or something that uniquely identifies them (like a fingerprint or facial recognition). Doing this puts an extra layer between your data and those trying to steal or replicate it.
Enforce stringent access regulations to restrict access to and alterations of sensitive data. Using Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) and the principle of least privilege ensures that only approved individuals can access specific data resources. This involves carefully limiting access to data.
Doing so shields data by ensuring only individuals with the correct permissions can interact. This reduces the chance of data breaches.
