How scammers trick staff into giving away the keys
Welcome to this month’s tech news. Here you will find:
- One Call Away: How social engineering cripples businesses.
- Microsoft: What’s new?
- Tech Facts: did you know?
- Q & A: what everyone’s asking
- Quiz Time: test your team!
Enjoy the read, and remember to give us a call if you have any IT concerns – we’re here to help!
How Social Engineering Cripples Businesses
It might sound dramatic, but one phone call really could be all it takes to bring your business to its knees.
Unlike cyber attacks that rely on complex coding or advanced tools, social engineering preys on people—your team. And that’s why it’s fast becoming one of the most dangerous threats facing businesses of every size.
How does it work?
Social engineering happens when a criminal tricks someone into handing over sensitive information or access to systems. It usually starts with a convincing phone call or email. The attacker might:
- Pretend to be a colleague, supplier, or senior manager
- Sound urgent, frustrated, or overly friendly
- Push for a quick response to bypass normal checks
If your staff aren’t on guard, that single interaction could unlock the door to your entire network.
Favourite targets? Your help desk.
Your support team is trained to be helpful and solve problems quickly. But what if a fraudster calls, claiming they’ve been locked out of their account and urgently need a password reset? It’s easy to see how even a well-meaning employee could be manipulated into giving away access.
From there, attackers can:
- Install ransomware
- Steal sensitive customer or business data
- Move through your systems undetected
The frightening part? These attacks are simple, effective, and difficult to spot.
So what can you do?
- Train your staff to be cautious with unusual or urgent requests
- Put identity verification procedures in place—and enforce them every time
- Use technology to add extra checks before sensitive actions are carried out
Remember: cyber criminals don’t need to “break in” if someone simply opens the door for them. But with the right awareness and safeguards, your team can stop them in their tracks.
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Need help keeping your team prepared and your business secure? We can provide expert support in cyber security training and protection: info@gzd.co.za.
What’s new to Microsoft?
Pick up where you left off in Android
Microsoft’s working on a new feature for Windows 11 called Cross Device Resume. It will let you pick up exactly where you left off in an app, across different devices.
For example, if you’re using an app on your phone, you’ll soon be able to switch to your Windows PC and carry on seamlessly, without having to start over. It’s like Apple’s Handoff feature and will rely on app developers enabling it. This could make switching between your devices even smoother, especially for communication, media, and productivity apps.
Full PDF translation comes to Edge
Yes, you’ll be able to open a PDF in Edge, click the Translate icon, and instantly see the entire document in your chosen language. No more copying and pasting line by line.
It will support over 70 languages and be a real time saver for understanding manuals, contracts or reports written in another language. The rollout is already happening right now.
Did you know?
Not all password managers are genuine
Cyber criminals are creating fake websites that look exactly like the real thing, offering downloads of password manager software that’s secretly been tampered with.
These lookalike sites often appear in search engine ads, making them hard to spot. Even for experts. Once installed, the software works normally on the surface, but behind the scenes it can steal your data or install ransomware. Always double check the web address before downloading anything, and only get software from trusted, official sources.
Tech Facts:
- Think AI is a new concept? Not really. The first computer program to have AI was Christopher Strachey’s draughts (checkers) program, developed between 1951 and 1952.
- In 2007 an estimated 10.8 trillion spam emails were sent, surpassing the 10.5 trillion legitimate messages. Spam traffic peaked in 2008, when it accounted for approximately 92% of all email traffic.
- The term “Vaporware” was created by a Microsoft engineer when asked about the status of the company’s Xenix operating system. It’s often used to describe products that are announced with great fanfare but are either indefinitely delayed or never released at all.
Q & A
Q: Is it really that risky to let staff use their own devices for work?
A: Yes, if it’s not managed properly. Personal devices are often less secure. And if they’re lost or compromised, your business data could go with them.
Q: How often should we change our passwords?
A: Actually, it’s better to focus on using strong, unique randomly generated passwords with multi-factor authentication, than changing them all the time. A good password manager can help.
Q: Do we really need to back up data if we’re using cloud services?
A: Yes! Most cloud services protect their systems, but not your data. Accidental deletion, user error, or cyber attacks can still result in loss.
Time for a Tech Quiz!
- What was the most downloaded app of 2024?
- A blue wavy line in Microsoft Word indicates which error?
- What does the acronym URL stand for?
- Where are the headquarters of Microsoft located?
- During its earliest days in development in the 1980s, what name was Windows 1.0 known by?
See answers below
Until next time,
The GZD team
Quiz answers:
1. TikTok, with over 825.5 million downloads worldwide. 2. A formatting error such as bad grammar.
3. Uniform Resource Locator: tells the browser the address to find a website / other content online.
4. Redmond, Washington. 5. Interface Manager.
