Tech Tip Tuesday is written and made possible by Computek who has been providing Georgetown and Austin businesses with fast, reliable and secure IT support and services since 2001. Learn more about Computek on their website, Facebook page or Instagram profile.
Over 59 million people in the U.S. alone fell victim to vishing in 2021. In 2023 following, vishing attacks rose 142%. While not as common as email phishing and lesser known, vishing (voice phishing) can be just as detrimental to your business. Let’s take a deeper look at what vishing is and how cybercriminals use it.
What is Vishing?
Vishing refers to phishing done by phone call, hence the name voice phishing. Either by calling you directly or planting a fake phone number for you to call, hackers can use vishing to install remote software onto your computer or pull sensitive information from you verbally. This type of phishing is extremely effective and can go undetected for months after the initial call.
How Do Cyber Criminals Use Vishing?
One of the most common tactics is for hackers to purchase sponsored ad space for tech support on Google ensuring they will come up as the first search result and lure people to call the number. The second most common tactic is for the hacker to use a pop-up telling you that your computer has a virus and to call the number provided.
Once they get you on the phone, they will try to get you to install remote software on your computer so they can “help you”. Sometimes the hacker will offer actual tech support, which can fool some people into thinking they called a real tech support line. After installing the remote software, the hacker can log in whenever they like and steal information.
How to Stop Vishing
The best way to stop vishing is education. Ensuring your employees recognize phishing attempts of all kinds can reduce the chance of a data breach by 70%. Investing in quality and up-to-date education can make a world of difference.
Your local IT company should provide cybersecurity education as well as email phishing protection, endpoint security, and anti-virus. Additionally, some IT companies may also offer phishing simulations that test the security of the company without the risk of an actual data breach.
The Bottom Line
To ensure your business is protected from vishing and all other types of cyber-attacks, you need cybersecurity that takes every level of entry into account. For any of the services listed above or to address the specific cybersecurity needs of your business, book a 15-minute discovery call with Computek at 512-869-1155 or book an appointment online at our website Computekonline.com
That’s for this week, we’ll see you next time for Tech Tip Tuesday!
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