Cybersecurity Consulting: San Francisco Bay Area

Keep Phishers Out of Your Bay Area Business Network

BC Networks provides cybersecurity consulting in the Bay Area. If your business has had issues with phishing and other preventable virus scenarios, we can help.  

October is Cybersecurity Month, but every month is a great time to raise awareness on how to avoid phishing attacks on your business or organization. More than 25,000 phishing/pharming crimes are reported to the FBI every year. Even if the perpetrator is caught, the damage is often already done. So, the way to beat cybercriminals is by keeping them out of your network in the first place. The challenge becomes raising awareness among employees and partners, who often unknowingly open the front door to malefactors by clicking on suspicious links and emails.

How Can You Avoid Phishing Scams in the Bay Area?

Staying proactive in terms of training and robust firewall protection is the best way to prevent phishing scams. Here are some tips to share with your employees to keep phishing viruses and ransomware from compromising your company and customer data:

• Do not open email from unknown senders.
• Avoid links in emails with a lot of spelling and grammar issues.
• Refrain from opening attachments on messages you aren’t expecting.
• Be aware of cybercriminals’ tricks. If your boss sends you a request to wire her money or your bank compels you to click a link to change your password, ignore the message. Contact the person directly (in this case the boss) or go to your regular account page to make any necessary changes. Here are more examples.
• Do not click on suspicious links.

If you would like an assessment of your current network and expert advice on your greatest security risks, BC Networks can help your Bay Area business keep phishers and hackers out.

Is There Anti-Phishing Software I Can Use?

Both Microsoft and Apple have anti-phishing tools to help you avoid phishing threats. There are also vendors who specialize in tools that help prevent successful phishing attacks on your devices.

• In Office 365, for example, Advanced Threat Protection protects your network against malicious attacks. Most Mac PC’s come with built-in antivirus software that includes phishing detection.
• Mimecast anti-phishing software blocks bad actors trying to impersonate institutions or individuals you trust as well as URL rewrites and infected attachments that launch damaging malware.
• Netcraft is another provider with anti-phishing services. It blocks sites on mobile devices, which transmit many of the viruses that make it through network firewalls.
• PC Magazine offers a list of recommended anti-phishing services. The magazine updates the site to include new hardware and software tools that become available on the market.

These are just some of the tools that can keep digital thieves from compromising your network, data and reputation.

How Can Cybersecurity Consulting in the Bay Area Help?

BC Networks provides cybersecurity consulting in the Bay Area. If your business has had issues with phishing and other preventable virus scenarios, we can help you set up phishing tests that identify employees who need further training. Contact us today for all your IT and networking requirements.