The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod urges business owners to assess their vulnerability to social engineering, cyberattacks and other breaches of critical information.
“Social engineering, which involves manipulating the human element as an alternative to attacking technology, has become especially prevalent for cybercriminals to access methods of entry for financial and personal data,” said Paul Forni, Vice President, Information Security and Red Flag Officer, of The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod. “Employee education – especially during these times of global uncertainty — is an essential first step in fortifying small businesses against attacks.”
Common forms of social engineering attacks include:
- Phishing, which involves emails, texts and social media posts written to give the appearance of legitimacy to lure victims to respond and reveal sensitive information.
- Pretext phone calling, when a cybercriminal places a call and pretends to be someone else with the intent of deceiving the victim to provide personal data.
- Physical breach attempts, when a person shows up at a home or business while impersonating an official or tradesperson in order to gain entry to access technology devices.
Forni also highly recommends that small businesses use unique and long passwords to protect digital assets, and ensure all computers, devices and apps have the latest security features installed.
“Small businesses are the heart of the region’s economy and are too often at risk to fall victim to deceptive online scams and hoaxes,” said Lisa Oliver, Chair, President and CEO of The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod. “A cyberattack could be devastating to a small business. That’s why the Coop’s team of small business specialists and information security experts work diligently to provide customers with the latest information and guidance to prevent attacks.”
An episode of Business sCOOP, the bank’s recently launched video series, is titled “Information Security – What Businesses Should Know” and can be viewed on the bank’s website, social media platforms and YouTube channel.
The Coop will also co-host a workshop titled “How to Identify your Weaknesses Before a Cybercriminal Does” with the Community Development Partnership on May 5. To register, visit www.capecdp.org/upcoming-events.
