BEC Fraud Nears $3B Mark In 2023 In Latest IC3 Report

Calling cybersecurity “the ultimate team sport,” the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) emphasized its ongoing commitment to working with local law enforcement and private industry to combat evolving cyber threats in the U.S. in its recent 2023 Internet Crime Report. The report, released in March, highlighted investment fraud and business email compromise (BEC) fraud as the two most expensive fraud …

How To Build a Cybersecure Culture  

Protect your business by taking a comprehensive approach to cybersecurity. Sometimes the cybersecurity landscape can feel a bit hopeless, especially when you look at recent data. News headlines are abuzz about breaches. Major companies across the economy are routinely victimized by hackers. Municipalities are open targets. Despite millions invested in security solutions, attacks seem to continue with unrelenting frequency. It …

Breach Detection: Top Signs Your Business Has Been Hacked

In 2024, cybersecurity has firmly entrenched itself in the public imagination. It seems like barely a week goes by, for example, without a high-profile data breach. Terms like “hacking,” “malware” and even “multi-factor authentication” have become part of our everyday vernacular. Even extensive security training is now routine at many workplaces. Yet despite this welcome increase in awareness and understanding, …

Beyond GTOs: FinCEN Proposes Expansion Of Industry Reporting Requirements

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on Feb. 7 to expand its efforts on a permanent basis to combat and deter money laundering through the residential real estate sector. According to the FinCEN announcement, the proposed rule would require professionals involved in real estate closings and settlements to report information …

What Exactly is Malware?

What exactly is malware, and how can you safeguard against it? You’ve heard the term. You’ve seen the warnings. You may have even been unlucky enough to experience an attack. But what exactly is malware, and what can you do to safeguard against it? Malware: A Catch-All Term Malware is an umbrella term for any type of malicious software. This …

It’s a New Day for Phishing

Are you ready? Can you spot when you’re being phished? One of the first steps is fully understanding what phishing is. Unfortunately, it’s not as fun as heading to the stream with your waders. Phishing can take place via phone call, text, or email, but the latter is the most common place. The attacker will pose as a legitimate institution …

Increased Risk Means We Need to Increase Training

Threats are constantly evolving and your training and testing must also evolve to counter these threats and keep your defense robust. A cyberattack is a malicious and deliberate attempt by and individual or an organization to breach the information system of another individual or company, seeking benefit from the disruption, ransom, or theft of data. This electronic threat is increasing …

Cyber Insurance: Yes, You Absolutely Need It

No matter the size, mission, strength or success of your business, brand-building strategies are necessary components to building trust, establishing relationships and strengthening awareness. But like everything else, branding practices are constantly evolving, and it’s important to stay ahead of the curve and understand what your future branding strategies should entail. To help, here are three best-practice branding trends that need to …

Escrow Fraud Remains Low Risk, High Reward

Several months ago, title agents across the country observed an uptick in attempted escrow fraud. In many cases, fraudsters posed as other participants in the transaction and attempted to trick agents into wiring funds to fraudulent accounts. The vast bulk of these escrow fraud attempts involved bogus emails. The stories and dollar losses were startling, and the industry responded. Alliant …