Cyber Criminals Are Targeting Business Social Media Accounts And Employees
There’s been an alarming rise in cyber attacks against Australian small businesses with experts warning their social media accounts are an easy target.
Business Australia general manager products Phil Parisis says they have seen a surge in the number of small businesses losing access to their entire social media accounts, crippling their businesses, as hackers use them as a platform to try and scam their customers as well.
“Many small businesses rely on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for a big part of their marketing or staying in touch with their clients – and cyber criminals are increasingly seeing this as an easy target,” says Parisis.
“One click is all it takes to lose everything.”
95 per cent of cybersecurity breaches are caused by human error, according to global cyber education company Cybint.
“We often hear from businesses that ‘I’m just a retailer, a designer, why would anybody target me?’.”
“The reality is that cyber criminals don’t necessarily target you. Mostly you become an accidental victim of a large, broad scale phishing attack. Then all it takes is one employee to make a mistake and it triggers an interest in your business.”
“Attackers are also incredibly creative at playing on human emotions, creating links someone is most likely to click.”
“We’ve seen a huge increase in phishing campaigns that revolved around trending topics like coronavirus vaccines or clicking a false Zoom meeting invite.”
Australians lost more than $8M to social networking scams last month, nearly four times what was lost in the same period the record breaking year before, according to the latest data from the ACCC’s Scamwatch. There’s also been a 40 per cent spike in the number of attacks being reported.
Parisis offers 6 tips to small businesses to avoid being hacked:
- Create a human firewall: Building a human firewall or educating yourself and employees is the most effective way of preventing a cyber-attack.
- Password protection: It’s important that passwords are not easy to guess. All businesses should consider a password manager or multi-factor authentication, with passwords regularly updated.
- Limit exposures: Logging on to public Wi-fi is one of the easiest ways to get hacked, hot spotting to a secure account is a safer option. Likewise be careful with cheap imitation cables and upgrade your systems regularly.
- Be prepared: Have a back-up account ready and know how to access it. Know what will be required to get your account back – have that information ready before the attack happens.
- Pay for an expert: The government is now offering cyber protection insurance to small businesses. This significantly reduces the financial impact of a cyber-attack and can help a business recover faster.
- Update business policies and procedures: Ensure your business processes are up to date to protect, prevent and recover from any suspicious behaviour.
Parisis says SMEs account for more than half of all cyber-crime incidents and in most cases it’s not possible to retrieve the lost accounts or information.
“Cybercriminals are savvy, they are taking on smaller businesses who knowingly have less resources, time and budget to protect themselves, unlike bigger companies with sophisticated security systems.”
“There are two types of social media attacks – firstly when hackers take over accounts by guessing passwords or buying them on the dark web then holding the account to ransom or using it to gain access to more valuable information.”
“Secondly, they use the social media account to target people within a company and create an email phishing campaign, often to scam money.”
Last July the Australian Cyber Security Centre reported a 60 per cent increase in ransomware attacks against Australian entities, with organisations quietly paying millions in ransoms to hackers.
By September, the federal government agency estimated Australian organisations and individuals had paid an astonishing $33B in the past year, either to hackers or in costs associated with their attacks.
Business Australia’s Cyber Security Training, has attracted the attention of thousands of small businesses, which is specially designed to help small businesses learn how to spot cyber risks and prevent attacks with a Cyber Security Health Check. The Cyber Security Training is specifically designed for smaller businesses and includes the top preventive measures and checks.
Please login with linkedin to comment
Cyber crimeLatest News
The Unapproved Climate Certification Allegedly Causing Mass Greenwashing
Are you left flummoxed in the canned tuna & free range eggs aisle? Just wait till this green certification gets up.
TV Ratings (22/04/2024): Fans Mock “Over The Top” Reaction To New MasterChef Judges
MasterChef returns for its 2024 season. B&T stands by putting peppercorns in Gravox & no one will be any the wiser.
Dentsu Restructure: Muddle, Harvey & Johnston Take Leadership Baton As Bass & Yurisich Exit
A large broom has swept through Dentsu's local ops this morning, taking with it some big names & the air con's cobwebs.
Industry Shares Trends Shaping The Industry This International Creators Day
B&T's asking adland creators to reveal their top trends. And it's not good news for your Jenny Kee cardigan collection.
Mable Extends HOYTS Sensory Screenings Partnership
Mable has extended its HOYTS sensory screening partnership. Vigorously defends its two-star Oppenheimer review.
Orphan Launches ‘They Need Our Help. We Need Yours’ For Children’s Cancer Institute
Anything to do with childhood cancers has B&T's 110% support. That said, we do ignore the red meat & alcohol warnings.
Smile Team Orthodontics & Keep Left Collaborate On Smile-Inducing Campaign
As parents would attest, given the cost of orthodontics you'd expect this campaign to be a lavish production indeed.
Opinion: How Video Calls Neglect Learning Diversity
Need an excuse to duck out of a video call this arvo? Show this to your boss.
DoubleVerify Achieves First-Of-Its-Kind Responsible AI Certification From TrustArc
DoubleVerify receives responsible AI certification. However, not its robotic vacuum that's been seen menacing the cat.
Smile For A Good Cause: The Social Media Campaign Giving Back To The Community
Are you known as the office Austin Powers? More for you teeth than shagability? Get snappy new fangs with this news.
Elon Musk Mocks Albo After ESafety Wins Court Injunction Against X
Albo's 2024 from hell continues - Rabbitohs in crisis, down in the polls and now feuding with world's richest man.
Real Estate Developer In Hot Water Over “Sexually Exploitative” OOH Campaign
Real estate agents again tops in the 'least trusted profession' polls, nudging used car salesmen & ad creatives.
Epsilon’s Shane Hanby: Post-Cookie Era Relies On “Teamwork” Between Brands, Marketers & Tech
This pro predicts more "teamwork" in a post-cookie era. Which spells bad news for the uncooperative or plain stubborn.
Entries For Five Decades Of Advertising Graduates Awards Close On Monday
Entries for the Five Decades of Advertising awards close Monday. And no extensions! Any bribery is open til Wednesday.
Cadbury Extends Commitment To Women’s Sport With Sweet New Wallaroos Deal
Rot your teeth, get fat and support women's sport all at the same time with this sweet new sponsorship arrangement.
Campfire X & Nando’s Partner To Acknowledge Traditional Land Owners Across Australia
Chicken chain unveils important First Nations initiative. The actual chickens more concerned with the Adani coal mine.
Lisa Ronson, Naysla Edwards & Ben Hill Join MFA Awards Signature Judging Panel
MFA Awards adds some serious clout to its judging panel. Still no confirmation Paulini will be performing on the night.
Connect Hearing ‘Sounds Good’ Platform Via Bread Agency
Every office has that one hard of hearing person that's oblivious to the fact. Ramp up their insecurities with this.
Ipsos Iris Data: Australians Prioritise Entertainment & Sports Over Serious News In March
Data shows Aussies prioritising light entertainment over hard news. And who can blame them if you've seen the hard news!
Fur Media Partners With Mad Paws To Support Advertisers
It's never good if your office smells like faeces & brine chunks in aspic. Not if you're pet-friendly agency Fur Media.
MAXIBON Drops Epic Flavour Collaboration Via SICKDOGWOLFMAN
There are few pluses to be had with global warming, except the extension of ice-cream eating season.
Sling & Stone Scrubs Up With Lush Account
Got friends at Sling & Stone? Expect the dreaded loofah and bath bomb for birthdays/Christmas this year.
SBS’s The Cook Up With Adam Liaw Produces ‘Fewer CO2 Emissions Than Industry Average’
SBS could go full vegan for Adam Liaw's seventh season and reduce its TV audience and emissions by 99 per cent.
GumGum & Playground xyz To Merge Media Portfolio, Creating “Powerhouse” Ad Suite
GumGum & Playground xyz tap into consumer mindset. B&T prefers tapping a keg, but whatever works.
All The Winners & Grinners From The TikTok Young Lions Awards Night!
Last week saw every part of the human experience: Exalted, devastated, exhausted & stuffing sausage rolls in the corner.
TV Ratings (21/4/24): Farmer Wants A Wife Wins Sunday Prime Time
Farmer Wants A Wife does make the country life seductive. Apart from the manure stench & the bleating roosters at 5am.
Australia’s Automotive Industry Shifts Gears With CTV
How much was CTV responsible for Australia's record car sales in 2023? Or those horrible oversized American utes?
Australia’s C7EVEN Communications Launches Services In Japan With New Tokyo Office
Aussie comms agency unveils its Tokyo plans. Confirms it's still getting the hang of the toilets over there.
Daniel Goldstein Promoted To Head Of PR At Example
Try as he may to surreptitiously blend in with the wall in his photo, this PR fellow still relatively easy to spot.
Marie Claire & Volvo Partner For The Planet: Nominees For The Inaugural Marie Claire Sustainability Awards Announced
Fashion bible Marie Claire unveils its Sustainability Awards. Yet still refusing to recycle 2023's maxi skirts trend.
Sefiani Unveils A Wave Of Promotions & Appointments
Life's good in PR/comms as Sefiani unveils new hires. Well, bad news for media sites obsessed with redundancy stories.
Yahoo Launches Identity Solutions For CTV
Connected TV just got a whole lot more exciting with this innovation. Bar the incessant Friends re-runs.
Infosum Launches Data Clean Room Solution With Samsung Ads Australia
Infosum & Samsung Ads launch a data clean room solution that's a lot more than a Wettex & squirt of Ajax.
Fast 10: Bread Agency’s Amaury Treguer On Its “Unrivalled” Social Commerce Focus
Bread Agency's Amaury Treguer takes B&T's Fast 10, as he reveals why he won't be sandwiched up against the opposition.
X And Elon Musk To Sue Australia’s eSafety Commissioner Over Sydney Stabbing Takedown Order
If this all wasn't traumatic enough, Elon weighs in to prove he's the world's richest man & world's biggest dickhead.
CRA Siren Award To Be Presented At B&T Awards 2024!
Often attend award nights & think "I wish this night would never end"? Well, B&T's just got that tiny bit longer.