MailGuard Partners Blog

It’s one of the most contentious topics facing businesses and cybersecurity professionals at the moment: Should ransomware payments be illegal? 

The verdict is in, most industry experts and business leaders agree that Government contractors should be legally accountable for not meeting cybersecurity standards. A somewhat harsh stance perhaps, or simply being cruel to be kind? For partners, the approach could have serious ramifications.    

As we near the end of 2021, a year that has been difficult once again for so many around the world, I wanted to take the opportunity to share with you, our partners, some fantastic progress from my team as we strive to make our industry-leading email security services even better.

Cybersecurity threats are at an all-time high and expected to intensify as we head into a new world of work, with a greater reliance on technology. Now, more than any other time in history, businesses need to have implemented, at the very least, baseline security measures, in order to be protected. As we near the end of 2021, and as our customers start gearing up for a more cyber resilient 2022, it can only be of benefit to review baseline cyber threat mitigation strategies to ensure we’re running a tight ship. 

Every day we read of yet another business being compromised in the news, and we know that so many more incidents are unreported. The big incidents, like Kaseya and Colonial Pipeline, are only the tip of the iceberg. So, it concerns me that there isn’t more urgency to boost cyber security for business. And more specifically, with 9 out of ten cyber-attacks starting with email, do businesses know they can be doing more to keep their teams safe?

We all use passwords. In fact, we need them to access almost any online device. They are the key to retrieving sensitive data, whether it be online banking, classified company documents or social profiles, such as LinkedIn. They’re the first line of defense to protect crucial information, and often the most vulnerable. It’s not surprising then, that cybercriminals often create phishing scams to steal password credentials in order to procure data for use in criminal activity.

To pay or not to pay? On the surface it may appear to be a relatively straightforward question, however, in reality, the answer is not so simple (particularly if we dig a little deeper). Amidst the plethora of information and advice offered by Governments, cybersecurity professionals and industry experts around the world, there is one thing that we seem to all agree upon: the answer to this critical question is not one-dimensional, whatever your viewpoint may be. Every incident is different because every company has its own unique set of challenges and priorities to consider.

A personalised and targeted email, an opportune offer and the impersonation of multiple brands – some of the techniques employed by cybercriminals in a phishing email scam that resulted in a property buyer losing thousands of dollars as part of a ‘deposit’, supposedly for his new apartment.

Your customers' business data is being held hostage, encrypted with only their attackers holding the keys. So, should they pay up the ransom, or try to recover without handing over company profits to cybercriminals?