It’s that time of year again. I enjoy receiving Valentine’s Day messages from loved ones and friends, but I’m a cynic when it comes to “friendly” looking emails. I received the email below from what appears to be an insurance agency. However, I’m skeptical it’s a genuine friendly message. Had I downloaded the attachment or even previewed it, I would probably have had to disinfect my laptop.
‘Be mine’
Phishing emails are one method nefarious actors use to gain access to your system. There are several clues in the email that point to phishing and a few items that seem to be from a legitimate insurance agency. With artificial intelligence (AI) the bad actors are getting even better. Regular training and coaching are important to protect your business.
Potential threats in a file attached to an email are:
- Ransomware. Encryption of the victim’s data and compensation demand to decrypt.
- Spyware. Software that tracks activity on the computer and reports to a third party.
- Adware. Software that tracks activity and uses it to entice product sales.
- Trojan. Malware that infects a device and uses it for other purposes.
- Worm. Self-contained program that replicates itself on the network.
- Keylogger keeps track of keystrokes with the ability to capture critical information.
Getting to the heart of the matter
ID Federation improves cybersecurity with the use of multifactor authentication (MFA) in an operationally efficient manner. Ask your carriers to support ID Federation so you can sign on only once — to your management system — and use those credentials to access carrier agent portals.
Alvito Vaz is executive director of ID Federation. He is a long-time participant in AUGIE and has held business and technology leadership roles at Progressive and Travelers. He can be reached at alvito@idfederation.com.
