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Social Engineering and Cyber Attacks in the era of AI

Cyber-Attacks in the era of AI

Here are some possible ways to protect yourself from AI-driven cyber attacks:

Social Engineering: A Growing Threat to Your Cyber Security

These days, pretty much everyone is aware that cyber security attacks are happening more frequently to businesses both small and large across the nation.  Most people’s thoughts turn to hackers breaking through your firewall and stealing your data, but in reality, human error is one of the leading causes of security breaches today.  Social engineering attacks have become one of the sneakiest yet easiest ways an outsider can gain access to your electronic data.

What is Social Engineering?    

Social engineering is a type of cyber attack that involves manipulating or deceiving people into performing actions or divulging information that benefits the attacker. Social engineering relies on human nature, rather than technical hacking, to exploit people’s emotions, instincts, and trust. This is commonly done through methods such as phishing, spearing, or whaling, and can result in seemingly minor crimes such as theft of a password, or more serious crimes like funds transfer fraud.  These crimes are often committed by someone posing as someone with authority:

      • Someone posing as a member of the C-Suite and/or management team by sending an email requesting sensitive information to be provided.  For example, someone posing as the HR Director requests a list of all employees’ names, dates of birth, and social security numbers
      • Someone posing as the CFO requests a funds transfer to pay an invoice.

But beware!  The email and sender may appear to be legit at a quick glance, but if you look closely, you may notice a slight difference from the person’s actual email address.  Because these fraudulent emails typically appear to come from someone with authority, the requests are often handled quickly and with little forethought – after all, you don’t want to upset the CFO!  Usually, by the time someone realizes it was a fraudulent request, a cyber breach has already occurred.

 Desert Mountain Insurance is experienced in both Cyber Liability and Crime Policies
Contact us today for a free evaluation of the types of coverage that may benefit you!

How can you protect your business from social engineering scams?

Here are some possible ways to protect yourself from social engineering attacks:

 

A Cyber Liability policy is a good start in protecting your business in the unfortunate event of a social engineering scam, but not all cyber policies are created equal.

Policies are usually individually crafted by each carrier, so there can be coverage differences from one policy to the next.

      • Only a few Cyber Liability policies actually include coverage for social engineering claims, and it’s typically only included by endorsement and upon request.
      • Additional coverage through separate Crime policy is often needed for a carrier to respond to a social engineering claim and have insurance protection from social engineering schemes.

Working with a trusted insurance broker is a great place to start.  Desert Mountain Insurance is experienced in both Cyber Liability and Crime policies, and our goal is to make sure you have adequate coverage for your business, especially when social engineering is involved.  Find more information about Cyber Liability and Crime Policies on our webpage.   Contact us today for a free evaluation of what types of coverage may benefit your company!

 

Let us be your one-stop-shop for business insurance.  We can help you avoid overlapping policies and consolidate your business insurance portfolio, so you get only the insurance you need and no more.  For available coverages, see our Business Insurance, Management Liability, and Group Benefits sections.

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