Sophos Cyber Threat Report: The Unsuspected Weakest Link In Your Security Chain

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It’s easy to point the finger at a cyberhacker when your network is compromised. But, cybercriminals aren’t the only ones to blame. Your trusted employees, and maybe even you yourself, could also be culprits.

There are three reasons why your employees can be the weakest link in your security chain. The first is human error. Phishing attacks have evolved from the typo-ridden emails they once were. Now, cybercriminals are using increasingly strategic, targeted and professional email attack tactics.

“People are humans, right? They have a tendency to click on things that they shouldn’t click on,” says Erin Malone, vice president North American channel sales at Sophos.

Even the most cybersecurity-conscious users are still at risk with today’s cyber threats. All it takes is a hacker to convince you to click a link in a convincing email that appears to be from someone you trust. Before you know it, malicious software begins downloading, and you’re a victim of a phishing attack. “Systems are being compromised, because people are not paying attention,” says Michelle Drolet, CEO at Towerwall.

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The second reason why your employees can be the weakest link in your security chain is because day-to-day business is mainly conducted online. “Our business revolves around handling documents, opening spreadsheets, opening invoices and resumes. By moving to that digital world and away from that paper world, it’s given them another avenue to try to get into your organization by sending you an infected document,” says John Shier, senior security expert at Sophos.

The last reason why your employees can be the weakest link in your security chain is due to connected cyberattacks. Phishing emails are used to first penetrate your defense. You need to block these threats with a secure email gateway, like Sophos Email Advanced. Plus, you can educate customers with Sophos’ Security Awareness Training, a last line of defense at the endpoint. And, you benefit from Sophos’ layered security defense, which you can manage through a single console on Sophos Central.

“We’re looking at trying to stop the traffic from getting in through the email gateway, web filtering gateway or even at the endpoint itself,” says Shier.

Sophos Email Advanced is powered by artificial intelligence and works immediately. It intercepts emails containing suspicious content, attachments and URLs. It also detects malware and blocks phishing imposters, so your customers can finally trust their inboxes again. Find out how you can sharpen up your security in our next Cyber Threat Report from Sophos.