The Risks & How it Can Happen
The bank’s ability to protect you is severely undermined when your online credentials are compromised by a data breach initiated within your computer system.
Once your computer is compromised, a criminal will attempt to fraudulently perform any function of online banking: Bill Pay, ACH transfers, wires, copies of checks and signatures, etc. Any possible way to financially defraud you will be used by smart criminals with the intent to steal your money or personal information.
Hackers often take aim at small firms' computers because they are easier to infiltrate than banks' systems. Ways they can breach your systems:
- Employees visiting legitimate websites – especially social media – and clicking on infected documents, videos, or photos posted there
- An infected document attached to an email
- A link within an email that connects to an infected website
- An employee using a flash drive that was infected by another computer
Once the employee opens an attachment or goes to the website, malware is installed on the computer. Then attackers infect your system and are able to obtain security credentials to access your company’s business accounts.