October 2023 is Cyber Security Awareness Month.  #BeSmarterThanAHacker

The Theme this time around is #BeSmarterThanAHacker.  This isn’t necessarily a literal challenge… you may be (in tech) cleverer than a typical hacker or may not be.  Either way there are some key things you can do to meet the challenge they pose with Social Engineering campaigns.

Phishing attacks are an example of social engineering and are by far the most frequent cyber threat… so says the NSCS in their Cyber Breaches Survey 2023 – which is worth a read.

There are a range of different Social Engineering attacks, but they are all designed to fool you into an action you wouldn’t normally take and one that is to your detriment.

Some examples beyond Phishing emails include phone calls impersonating IT staff, Fake websites, and Shoulder surfing.

Some to take to help you meet the #BeSmarterThanAHacker challenge :

  • Make it harder for your emails to be spoofed – use anti spoofing controls.
  • Make sure you are blocking or filtering Phishing emails.
  • Train your users so they know what to look out for, and what to do.
  • Don’t allow access to malicious websites.
  • Set up a Password Manager for all users along with authentication.
  • Set up MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication) on all accounts.
  • Ensure all patch management up to date.

With WatchGuard Total Identity Security you can sort the Password Manager and Multi-Factor Authentication, and with WatchGuard Endpoint Solutions block and filter Phishing emails and block access to malicious websites.

Do all of this and you will have definitely risen to the #BeSmarterThanAHacker challenge.  If you get caught out and need some help give us at Cyber and Data Protection a call – 01743 644404