Page 43 - Cyber Defense eMagazine December 2022 Edition

access if sensitive data isn’t adequately secured, encrypted, or password protected. It’s also crucial to
consider the loss of sensitive information-containing devices or documents.

Many businesses do not take data security as seriously as it should be. They have weak passwords,
important files that aren’t encrypted, and servers that aren’t configured correctly. More than 4 billion data
records containing sensitive information were allegedly compromised in the first six months of the year
in 2021 as a result of this negligent attitude.

2. Enable secured collaboration for business communications
Since the recent crisis-forced transition to remote work, there has been an increase in the use
and reliance on communication tools. Employees across organisations are looking for an effective,
secure approach to continue collaborating throughout the business now that they are dispersed in various
remote locations. Migration to business communication platforms as a replacement for in-person and
other technical communication has become a major goal for a business’s digital transformation.

Companies become more vulnerable to major security concerns when more communication – and
business-critical information – is shared across cloud platforms likeZoom and Teams. As we saw with
COVID-19, there has been an increase in hacks, including targeted Teams attacks using impersonating
Teams notifications and GIFs vulnerabilities.

With the likes of Teams in terms of external vulnerabilities, federated access to external users is enabled
by default when Teams is implemented out of the box. This means that anyone in the world can send an
email to a user, request to chat with them, or exchange files with them, exposing the individual, and
hence their entire organisation, to messages that are frequently hostile in nature.

Whereas, if an organisation uses a closed communications platform such as Salt they don’t leave
themselves open to these types of threats. Salt Communications recognises that encryption alone isn’t
enough to keep an organisation’s data safe. Salt delivers a highly secure platform that gives the same
convenient user experience as consumer apps, but in a safer and more secure manner, allowing the
business to maintain complete, centralised management of the system at all times and therefore ensure
complete control.

3. Ensure you are reducing malware exposure

Malware infections are frequently linked to user mistakes. Phishing and spoofing schemes have
advanced to the point where they can trick users into downloading innocuous-looking apps that contain
hidden attacks by sending them fake emails from trusted brands. These emails lure users in with fake
news stories, or very personalised offers, which leaves themselves and their companies open to attack.
As well as this in the past year there has been an increase in ‘smishing’ attacks which are threatening

Cyber Defense eMagazine – December 2022 Edition 43
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