Trojans and viruses have always been a risk, and they're increasingly problematic for small businesses and organizations.
Small shops might have been too-small-to-matter in the past. However, hackers are stepping up efforts to rip off small groups. They're less likely to have sophisticated protection and staff on available, and they don't expect to be targeted.
The logistics are not new - a malicious program steals bank information or passwords - but the way they approach victims is. They're willing to spend time researching your organization and crafting customized letters that get you to do the wrong thing. Instead of a poorly-written email about the UK lottery, you may get a phone call or paper document from somebody who knows your name and job title (sometimes called spear phishing).
Businesses need to be especially careful because they don't enjoy the same protection as consumers. Banks may refuse to cover losses in a business account, while a consumer would have been reimbursed under similar circumstances.
According to the FDIC:
"Over the past year, the FDIC has detected an increase in the number of reports and the amount of losses resulting from unauthorized EFTs, such as automated clearing house (ACH) and wire transfers. In most of these cases, the fraudulent transfers were made from business customers..."
A USA Today report suggests a few ways to avoid problems, including doing your online banking on a computer that is never used for other purposes. For most, this isn't feasible. To reduce your risks, follow the same advice you've heard for years:
- Don't visit sites you don't know about or need to visit
- Don't open attachments from people you don't know
- Only open email in plain text, and don't click on links if anything is suspicious
- Keep computer security software up-to-date
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