Introduction
Business Email Compromise, or BEC, is no longer a whisper in the corporate world. It’s a full-blown scream, echoing through departments in every industry.
Shockingly, it was the inaugural threat highlighted in the FBI’s Cybercrime Report, a chilling testament to its prevalence and impact. The staggering average loss per BEC incident is a hefty $137,000 which underscores the severity of this cybercrime. Could you handle a loss that grand?
What BEC Means for You
What does this mean for you, and the private company data under your care? Imagine losing six months of your salary, or even your boss’s salary, in a single email-based scam.
That’s the stark reality of Business Email Compromise. Cybercriminals are becoming increasingly sophisticated, mimicking the communication styles of executives and trusted employees to deceive unsuspecting staff into transferring funds or sharing sensitive information.
These attacks aren’t just targeting large corporations. Small and medium-sized businesses are equally vulnerable, often lacking the robust cybersecurity infrastructure of larger companies. A BEC attack can cripple a small business, leaving it struggling to recover. 60% of SMBs within six months after a cyberattack.
Why are these attacks so dangerous? They’re convincing and effective.
Authority figures carry an innate respect, and your professional higher-ups also hold your job security in their hands. People don’t want to question or deny the boss, because it could make their workplace environment very tense and even hostile. Moreover, a call from above makes people question their usual intuition and incident response protocols, especially if the impersonator makes threats to their paycheck or job.
How to Protect Against BEC Scams
Protecting your business requires a multi-layered approach. Employee training to recognize phishing attempts is essential; take your security awareness courses seriously, and pay attention to phishing simulations that teach you how to recognize and successfully report all scamming attempts.
The bottom line: Vigilance is key.
When you communicate private information, always use encrypted channels and platforms. Email sensitive information only when authorized and to valid recipients, and use encrypted platforms that are equipped with security tools, like spoofing prevention. Many email providers include spam filtering to catch suspicious messages before you even see them.
If you do receive a suspicious message, then take a step back to slow down and reassess. Look for red flags like misspellings or foreign variations, vague threats, unsolicited links or attachments, and mismatching email addresses or domains. Remember, even a small change in your email habits can make a big difference!
Then, regularly backing up your data is crucial for recovering quickly and smoothly in the event of a successful data breach. Cloud computing can automatically back up your files to an encrypted, remote database; but you should still regularly retrieve your files to check the backups are working properly and loading uncorrupted.
It’s crucial to understand that BEC is not a technical glitch, but a social engineering ploy. It exploits human trust and error; so even if you think it’s your boss talking to you, it’s imperative that you watch out for any suspicious signs and when in doubt, go directly to your superiors through verified, professional channels. Even the most tech-savvy person can fall victim if they’re not vigilant!
The Evolving Threat of Deepfakes
Deepfake technology, once a realm of science fiction, has rapidly evolved into a potent tool for cybercriminals. Its ability to create highly realistic synthetic media, such as videos and audio, has significantly elevated the sophistication and effectiveness of Business Email Compromise (BEC) scams.
By crafting deepfake videos or audio clips that perfectly mimic the voice and appearance of company executives, scammers can convincingly impersonate legitimate authority figures. This makes it extremely difficult for employees to discern the fraudulent communication. So, how can you discern a fake image, audio file or video from a real interaction with your boss?
- Look for any signs of distortion, blurriness, mismatch, or artifacts that might indicate editing or manipulation.
- Look for clues of unnaturalness, awkwardness, or incongruence with how you know the person usually behaves.
- Always verify the source and origin of the video or image.
- Trust your senses and gut feeling. Look for strange “jumps” in a video, changes in voice emphasis, low-quality audio, blurred spots, strange shapes of limbs, and other unusual inconsistencies.
- Use advanced deepfake detection tools, which analyzes digital media for AI-forgery and provides a visualization of the manipulation.
Remember, as technology evolves, so do the methods for creating and detecting deepfakes! It’s always good to stay informed about the latest tools and techniques available for deepfake detection.
Conclusion
BEC is a persistent and evolving threat. Ignoring it is a risky gamble. Its increasing popularity is reflected in the United States’ FBI report, and defending yourself requires YOU to equip yourself with advanced threat detection tools that can help prevent you from ever receiving these messages.
Do you know who is responsible for handling BEC incidents? Do you know who to call when you sense something is off? This person should coordinate responses, communicate with affected parties, and initiate necessary actions. If you don’t know who it is, or you can’t remember what your incident response plan says, now is the time to find out!
By understanding the risks and taking proactive steps, you can significantly reduce your chances of falling victim to this costly cybercrime.
Don’t let BEC steal your peace of mind (or your money). Your data and your company depends on it!
