While it’s undeniable that resources like Microsoft Teams make doing business in the 21st century a lot easier, particularly post-pandemic when remote working is at an all time high and people want to be more flexible about where they do their jobs, it seems that such tools are now proving to be attractive options for scammers… so it’s important to be on your guard.

There have been growing numbers of reports since late last year that sophisticated hackers are now using Microsoft Teams for quishing, vishing and phishing, impersonating IT support and operating within a company’s internal communication platform to exploit members of staff and bypass security processes altogether.

When using programs like Teams it’s essential that you only follow the instructions of those you know you can trust. Don’t just assume that internal messages that pop up are safe and if you’re ever unsure, it’s always best to double check account names and usernames so you can verify that communications are above board.

Never engage with someone that you haven’t verified, or you run the risk of them being able to take control of your system and install ransomware.

It’s very easy to be engineered in this way, as you typically consider Teams to be an integral part of your secure system… but hackers are aware of this and will use it to their advantage, knowing that people are likely to follow instructions if they come from what looks like an internal IT account.

It’s important to make sure that your internal communication tools are made as secure against cyber attacks as the rest of your network is. 
If you need any help or advice relating to protecting your employees from internal social engineering and impersonation, get in touch with the Yanz team today.