Business leaders risk social cyber attacks, report finds

Hackers are spending more and more time on social media websites in order to acquire data on intended victims, with numerous high-profile companies unwittingly revealing an unnecessarily amount of information, found a new report.

The research, by online reputation and digital intelligence firm Digitalis Reputation, found that 62% of companies provide cyber security advice to staff, such as what personal information is and is not acceptable online. However, many business owners are making amateurish mistakes that are putting their company at risk.

Digitalis Reputation Chief Executive Dave King said:

“Criminals use information from social media to craft bespoke phishing emails which show a very convincing understanding of the staff member’s life and habits. In these situations, staff members are often caught out, either directly by giving away company secrets or transferring money to criminals, or indirectly by clicking on links which allows hackers access to the company network.”

Just over half (51%) of business owners have changed privacy settings on social media websites to protect importance pieces of personal information, and a mere 34% regularly monitor what information on them is available to access online.

With hackers spreading their venom to social media, it is putting the onus on more of a cyber presence within UK firms. It is therefore more important than ever for businesses to create cyber security jobs to ensure that they have someone on board who can advise them on what they should and should not be doing with regards to online safety.