You’ve heard the phrase that everything eventually cycles back to where it started, right? Well, the private investigators in Boise want to tell you that although technology does not appear to be cycling back, the ways in which hackers operate has taken a trip back to simpler technology. The incredible thing is that the ‘retro’ approach has become very successful for hackers.

Here’s How It Works

Hackers continue to become sophisticated in how they steal the information they use. In fact, because they continue to increase their abilities, security designers are no longer leading the way, in most cases they are just catching up to where the hackers are. But now hackers have combined new and old in order to steal your information. A typical scenario may look like this:

1 – No More Blanket E-Mails

Hackers are aware that corporate e-mail filters can spot a generic and unprompted e-mail from miles away. So they have dropped that tactic opting for something more personal in nature.

2 – Personalization

The average hacker knows how to search for specific data. The private investigators in Boise say this is where they excel. By locating some small nugget of information from a social media site a target can be identified. This leads to a person to make contact with. The hacker has a credible ruse already in place and makes a call. It could be for general information about the company or just about any other item that would sound like a normal, ordinary inquiry.

3 – Follow-Up E-Mail

During the telephone conversation the hacker makes reference to a follow-up e-mail which will be related to the conversation. The e-mail is sent and passes through the corporate e-mail filters as it is an expected piece of mail. The e-mail would include an attached Word doc that would be expected from the telephone conversation.

4 – Opening The E-Mail

As the e-mail is expected, the target has no fear and goes ahead and opens the attachment. However, in order to do that he or she must disable macros on their computer. The private investigators in Boise say this request should be your red flag. Once the macros are disabled a batch script is executed and the hacker’s malware gets downloaded.

How To Protect Yourself From This Happening To You

The private investigators in Boise point to online and e-mail security measures as being a good first line of defense. However, these systems work only if they are used. People are often the weakest link and therefore staff and management need to stay diligent in the war against cyber crime. To find out how to better protect your e-mail system or how to train your staff to watch for signs that may lead to a breach in security contact the private investigators in Boise at Custer Agency.