FBI Reports $40M Stolen from Small and Mid-Sized US Businesses
According to Brian Krebs writing for the Washington Post, the FBI recently reported that $40 million dollars has been stolen from small and mid-sized us businesses through online bank fraud. See the article here: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2009/10/fbi_cyber_gangs_stole_40mi.html?hpid=sec-tec
Companies are particularly vulnerable to cyber fraud because their commercial banking accounts typically "enjoy few of the protections afforded to consumers." While consumers can recover money stolen from fraudulent withdrawals, businesses often can not.
The FBI points out that these attacks are carried out by software that steals user names and passwords when an unsuspecting user opens a spam email or clicks on a link the leads them to a "booby-trapped" website. They recommend "locking-down" computers that are used for online banking and making sure these computers are not used for everyday email and web surfing.
The takeaway for me in this article is that the most sophisticated firewalls and cyber security can be compromised without the proper security policies and procedures and physical safeguards around end users' computer workstations.
Reliant Security can work with your business to implement the right security policies and procedures to protect your assets and your company from embarrassment and financial loss.
Sincerely, Matt CooperVP Reliant Security
