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Many phishing scams are hard to detect, and this one is certainly no exception. This version is particularly sensitive because it touches on something no one wants to be guilty of — copyright infringement. In a new wave of phishing tactics, this latest scam attempts to lure victims into opening ransomware-laden files. In fact, we recently got one that started like this:
Subject: Attention: www.iccusa.net DMCA Copyright Infringement Notification email
Hello, Your website or a website that your company hosts is infringing on a copyright-protected images owned by our company (xero Inc.). Take a look at this official document with the URLs to our images you utilized at www.iccusa.net and our earlier publication to find the evidence of our copyrights. Download it right now and check this out for yourself.
As an IT company, we immediately flagged this, but you can see why it would be easy for someone to believe the email and click on links, putting the person’s company immediately at risk! This is an effective tactic because this kind of claim is taken seriously by most businesses. Many of the fake emails threaten legal action.
Companies must realize that if an email notice of a copyright violation seems suspicious they should notify their IT person (or even lawyer) to look into it before doing anything. One tip is if the email does not show the image identified for copyright infringement, then the email is most likely a scam. And it may sound obvious, but it’s important not to open any emails from unknown sources.
It’s very easy for employees to be duped by these cleverly crafted emails, but ICC can help. Did you know that ICC conducts staff training, audits and tests – as well as put tactics in place – to significantly reduce the possibility of an attack? Protect your data, and most importantly, have the ability to restore it. At a minimum, your comprehensive cybersecurity strategy should include network security, email security, employee education, backups, security patches and updates along with quarterly cybersecurity reviews to boost your defenses against cybercriminals and prevent losing data. If you are missing one piece of the pie, you may be exposed to cyber-attacks, and could be faced with significant business disruption and financial loss.
To set up a consultation, call us at 970-419-0602.
