Phishing has been around since AOL was charging by the hour.

Don’t you remember those pesky messages that would politely tell us our information has been compromised and we need to verify our password or risk being locked out of our account completely?

Cyber-criminals have upped the ante over the years as they now target our business networks to get access to our client’s sensitive and private records. Not only are they going after more valuable information, they are using advanced malware infections that load onto our systems to give hackers access to files and information without you even replying to the message.

One employee who falls victim to a phishing attempt can accidentally divulge information or unknowingly load infected files on your machines which give hackers direct access into your network.

Has your entire staff been reminded about the importance of safe email habits this tax season?

Even though phishing has been around since the start of the Internet, don’t just assume your employees always think of your network’s security when opening an email message. With the number of phishing attempts on the rise, make sure your employees are reminded of these basic Canada Revenue email safety tips:

1. Don’t open Email Attachments from Canada Revenue – they will never include attachments in official emails
2. Don’t click on links within emails – Canada Revenue will not send you requests that require you to click a link
3. Don’t load remote images embedded in emails – check your email settings to make sure you’re not loading remote images
4. Don’t Reply with Any Information – if you think a request may be legitimate, call Canada Revenue instead of replying by the requested contact method

As cyber-criminals continue to advance their phishing methods you need full network protection that removes threats before they hit your inbox. Compunet InfoTech is your complete IT security provider that will protect you from email phishing attempts with:

• Properly configured firewalls that block unauthorized inbound and outbound requests
• Active email scanning to remove dangerous emails before they hit your inbox
• Anti-malware protection to stop infections before they leak your sensitive data

Stay posted to our blog for the latest security news and trends, or call (604) 986-8170 to speak with a Compunet InfoTech security consultant to protect your inbox from phishing attempts.