Did you know your inbox is a hotspot for cybersecurity risk?
Did you know your inbox is a hotspot for cybersecurity risk?
What is Business Email Compromise?
Business Email Compromise (BEC), also known as Email Account Compromise (EAC), is any situation where a cybercriminal or hacker sends an email to a member of a company that appears to be from a legitimate source (like the company’s CEO) with a legitimate request. Common requests include asking for certain gift cards to be purchased as “employee gifts”, or what may seem like a client updating their personal information. Scammers might perform BEC by:
- Creating emails that are only slightly different from the original, so much so that the difference cannot be easily seen. An example would be changing a lowercase L to a capital I.
- Using types of software called malware that are built to gather confidential and critical information from a company, usually in effort to acquire finances
What is Account Takeover?
Similar to BEC, Account Takeover (ATO) occurs when cybercriminals successfully gain access to a user’s online accounts, most often in the attempt to commit credit card theft. Through malware entering your inbox or hackers posing as legitimate trusted sources, your passwords, credit card information and other private information could be compromised. ATO is often not detectable right away, since cybercriminals need time to gather the necessary information and then distribute it. By the time the victim realizes their information has been compromised, it may be too late. Not only does this risk affect the members of your company, but will also cause your customers to question the safety of working with your company and go elsewhere.
