Loading ...Our poll question this week has been prompted by an ‘urgent warning’ from NZFSG to its adviser network following a sharp increase in sophisticated email attacks targeting the financial services sector.
The report made us wonder just how well-informed advisers and advice practices are on what they should, and shouldn’t, be clicking on. Essentially, how confident are you in your practice’s own cyber-intelligence and in your security systems and protocols?
These latest attacks, which have been highlighted by the National Cyber Security Centre, are known as business email compromise, and can cause significant financial loss and may lead to further cyber breaches (see Scams: NZFSG Issues ‘Urgent Warning’ to Advisers).
NZFSG describes the scams as particularly dangerous because cybercriminals deliberately design them to avoid detection.
It has seen cases where compromised accounts are used to distribute mass phishing emails containing malicious links.
“These links may lead to fake login pages designed to harvest credentials or trigger the download of remote access tools, potentially compromising sensitive information and leading to financial loss,” the company says.
Laura Bennett, NZFSG’s Principal Security Consultant, describes this as a serious and evolving threat.
So, how good are you at spotting something that looks amiss, noticing the sender’s email address might just be slightly wrong or that the general tone of the email is suspect?
We are keen to learn your views and will report back next week…