3 Next-Gen Cybersecurity Challenges for SMBs

Imagine one of your employees receives a phone call from someone who sounds just like you. Would they be able to distinguish this deepfake from the genuine article? If you cannot answer this question with an emphatic “yes,” you have some work to do in preparing your team for modern cybersecurity standards.

Today, we’re looking at three developments in next-gen social engineering that make building up your “human firewall” all the more important.

Recognize the Hyper-Personalization of AI-Driven Outreach

Hackers used to send generic emails to thousands of people at a time, but AI bots can now scan LinkedIn, company websites, and social media to craft unique messages for every single employee.

To make matters worse, these messages can reference real projects, recent company news, and match the specific tone used by your leadership team. The trick to identifying these scams is to look for “intent” rather than “identity,” specifically because you cannot trust identity much these days. Take time to scrutinize any urgent requests that might bypass your critical thinking, and be sure to verify the channel of communication when you receive messages through unusual platforms.

An employee who takes a moment to pause and scrutinize a “perfect” email is an absolute game-changer and can seriously level up your network security.

Prepare for the Deepfake Voice and Video Transition

Lately, there has been a massive surge in “vishing,” or voice phishing, where AI clones a business leader’s voice from a public source.

Imagine the scenario outlined above, where your employee receives a phone call from someone with your voice, asking for a wire transfer or a password reset. The way you combat this is tricky, to say the least, but it’s not impossible. Consider implementing a “safe word” system, where you establish an internal, non-digital phrase or “challenge response” questions that only your team knows the answer to.

You can also implement a callback procedure for any requests involving money or access, where you contact the individual from a pre-saved office number. And for video calls, look for glitches or unnatural movements that might give away an AI overlay.

Shift from Annual Training to Continuous Awareness

The annual 30-minute cybersecurity training video is more of a liability than an asset, especially in the face of AI threats.

Since artificial intelligence threats evolve quickly, your “human shield” needs to be able to adapt just as quickly, and it can’t do that when security is only looked at once or twice per year. Instead, you need to build compliance into the company culture through the use of simulated AI attacks. You can run controlled phishing tests that mimic the sophistication of AI, all while providing instantaneous feedback when someone fails the test to ensure they never make the same mistake twice.

And finally, perhaps most important of all, build zero-blame reporting into your policies. Make employees feel like heroes for reporting suspicious messages, even if they aren’t 100% sure it’s a phishing attempt.

The same security approach that worked for your business ten years ago will not work in today’s AI-driven cyberthreat landscape. As AI makes the fake look real, the human elements of your business will become that much more powerful as a line of defense. Get started building your “human firewall” today by contacting Atech MSP. We’ll help you invest in your human resources through preventative cybersecurity training.

Learn more today by calling us at (888) 814-4843.