Website cloning: Don’t fall for that trap!

 

Website cloning: Don’t fall for that trap!

 

Have you watched one of those horror movies where the something impersonates the protagonist only to wreak havoc later? Well, website cloning does the same thing--to your business--in real life. Website cloning is one of the most popular methods among scammers to fleece you of your money.

As the name suggests, the cybercriminal first creates a ‘clone’ site of the original one. There can be a clone of any website, though retail shopping sites, travel booking sites and banks are the favorites of cybercriminals. The clone site looks exactly like the original one, barring a very miniscule change in the url.

Next, they will create a trap intended to get unsuspecting victims to visit the clone site. This is usually done via links shared through emails, SMS messages or social media posts asking them to click on a link to the clone site. The message urges the recipient to take an action. For example, a message that presents itself as though it is from the IRS, asking the recipient to pay pending taxes by clicking on a specific link to avoid a fine or business shutdown, or an SMS about a time-bound discount on iPads. Sometimes, they go straight for the target and masquerade as a message from your bank asking you to authenticate your credentials by logging into your banking portal--the only glitch, the banking portal will be a clone.

 

Staying safe

 

So, how do you identify a clone website and a dubious message?

• Does the email sound too good to be true? Well, then it probably is. Nike giving away free shoes? Emirates Airlines giving you free tickets to Europe? Apple iPhone X for just $20? All of these scream SCAM!
• Even if the message sounds genuine, such as an email from your bank asking you to authenticate your login credentials, check the email header to see if the sender’s email domain matches your bank’s. For example, if your bank is Bank of America, the sender’s email ID should have that in the domain. Something like customercare@bankofamerica.com could be genuine, whereas, customercare@bankofamerica.net is suspicious.
• Check the final URL before you enter any information to make sure it is the actual one. Most shopping/banking websites, where payments are made and other personal details are shared are secure (HTTPS)and will have a lock symbol at the beginning of the URL. Also, check the domain. For example, something like- www.customerauthentication.com/bankofamerica is not

Identifying a cloned website is tricky, but it is not something you can afford to ignore.Giving away your personal and financial information to a fraudster can cause a lot of harm to you and your business.

BYOD=Bring your own disaster?

 

BYOD=Bring your own disaster?

 

Workplaces today have changed. They extend beyond the working hours, beyond the cubicles. Whether you are commuting to work or even vacationing, chances are you or your employees take a break from the break to reply to those important emails that require ‘immediate action’. Plus, there may even be employees who are not even on the same continent as you. What does all this mean for your business in terms of IT security? Does BYOD translate to bring your own disaster to work? This blog explores the risks of BYOD culture and offers tips on how you can avoid them.

When you adopt a BYOD culture at your business, you are opening the virtual floodgates to all kind of malwares and phishing attacks. Your employee may be storing work-related data on their personal devices and then clicking a malicious link they received on their personal email or (even whatsapp in case of tablets or smartphones) and put your entire network at risk. Secondly, you cannot control how your employees use their personal devices. They may connect to unauthorized networks, download unauthorized software programs, use outdated antivirus programs etc,. Even something as simple and harmless as the free wifi at the mall can spell danger for your data.

 

What you can do?

 

First of all, if you have decided to adopt the BYOD culture in your organization, ensure you have a strong BYOD policy in place. It should cover the dos and don’ts and define boundaries and responsibilities related to the BYOD environment.

It also makes sense for you to invest in strong antivirus software and mandate those employees following the BYOD model to install it. You can also conduct device audits to ensure your employee’s personal devices are up-to-date in terms of software, security and firewall requirements to the extent that they are safe to be used for work purpose.

And one of the most important aspects--train your employees on the best practices related to basic data security, access and BYOD environments. This will ensure that they don’t make mistakes that prove costly to you. You can conduct mock drills, tests and certifications and provide the BYOD privilege to only those who clear your tests. You could also use positive and negative reinforcements to ensure everyone takes it seriously.

BYOD is great in terms of the flexibility it lends to both--the employer and the employee, and the trend is here to stay. It is up to businesses to ensure it helps more than it can hurt.

Why you need the cloud?

 

Why you need the cloud?

 

When talking to our clients, we have noticed that SMBs often think the cloud is something for their bigger counterparts to explore. We hear objections like, “But, it’s too complicated.”, “The cloud sounds expensive.”, “We are a small business, we don’t think we need the cloud.”, Hold on!

In reality, it is the SMBs that benefit the most from the cloud. Here’s how...

 

The cloud grows with you

 

Yes, you may be a SMB today and perhaps a few desktops and in-house hard-disks are sufficient as of now. However, as you grow, your data storage needs will increase and you will need much more than a few external hard-disks. Servers become expensive and wholly owning one is not very cost-effective.Change the dynamic:he cloud grows with you--you can scale up or down on cloud usage easily and save on costs. Plus, when using cloud storage, you are sharing your server space with others, so you essentially pay for only what you use.

 

Security is not your concern

 

When you store your data in-house, the headache of security, backups and updates falls on you. However, with the cloud, all of that becomes your cloud service provider’s responsibility. You focus on running your business and your cloud service provider will take care of your data’s security and accessibility. .

 

Accessibility

 

When you store your data on the cloud, it is accessible from anywhere using the internet. That lends a lot of flexibility to you. You or your employees don’t have to be in the in the office or have immediate access to their computers to be able to work. A quick order can be processed or an invoice can be raised even using an iPad or a smartphone!

 

So, don’t you think it may be beneficial to get a little ‘cloudy’? For more, download our whitepaper- Demystifying the cloud in layman’s terms https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0TD9Kobul-VcnNsNUk2djJqb2s

Don’t sign up with that MSP just yet!

 

Don’t sign up with that MSP just yet!

 

The decision to sign up with a MSP is a big one--you are essentially trusting someone with the backbone of your business–your technology infrastructure, so you need to make sure you pick someone with whom you can have a mutually beneficial, long-term relationship. This blog discusses what you need to know before you sign up with a MSP.

Values: Your MSP is your technology partner and for your partnership to be smooth, make sure you pick a MSP whose core value system matches yours as a business.

Knowledge, skill set and experience: Does your MSP have the skillset and the resources to cover all your IT needs? Are they experienced in working with SMBs? How long have they been in the business? Make sure you have satisfactory answers to these questions before you bring your MSP on board.

Flexibility: Does your MSP let you pick and choose whatever services you want, or do they sell it as a fixed package? Having the option to choose what you want lets you invest your money where you really need to.

Service and support: You are opting for a MSP so you can get solid IT support--the kind you can’t get with an in-house IT team owing to resource constraints. So, make sure your MSP will actually provide you that. Talking to their existing clients can help you figure out how good they are in terms of service and support.

To have a MSP manage your IT needs successfully, you need to create a strong partnership with them, where they help you grow and are agile enough to scale up or down to suit your business demands. There are plenty of MSPs in the market, but not everyone will fit well with your needs.

Our recent whitepaper explores this in detail as it discusses the 8 things you need to know before you partner with a MSP for your IT services. Please click here to download the whitepaper.