Author: Lori

Can You Recognize an Email Phishing Scam?

Can you recognize a phishing email scam? Businesses across all industries are vulnerable to phishing campaigns. Companies that handle an incredible amount of sensitive information, from medical and financial data to merger and acquisition (M&A) data, are at the highest risk.

Firms have to tackle phishing campaigns to avoid the devastating consequences successful attacks can cause. These include a damaged reputation, lost client trust, and regulatory penalties—not to mention the potential loss of millions of dollars.

Hackers do their homework by gathering publicly available information about a company, its employees, and counter parties. LinkedIn, Out of Office messages, and even a firm’s own website make it easy.

By the time most companies realize they’d been successfully attacked, it is too late.

What is phishing?

Phishing is an effort to collect private and sensitive information from you: financial information, social security or login credentials to sites containing that kind of information.

Phishing campaigns are carried out by email spoofing; an email that looks legitimate and directs the recipient to enter personal information at a fake website. Once a link is clicked, malware and spyware are distributed through the links or attachments meant to steal information and perform other malicious tasks.

Specifically, spear phishing is a personalized phishing attack that targets a specific organization or individual.  Law firms are prime targets for spear phishing attacks.

There are 2 types of spear phishing

Business Email Compromise, is also known as CEO fraud, whaling and wire transfer fraud.  In these attacks, criminals impersonate an employee, usually an executive or manager and fellow employees are the targeted.  Employees are asked to wire money, send sensitive data about clients, customers, employees, vendors or partners and thus launch malware and spyware.

Impersonation:  These attacks impersonate a trusted, well-known entity such as Office 365, Gmail, or DocuSign.  It could also impersonate an individual such as a colleague or business partner. These attacks attempt to get the recipient to provide login credentials or click on malicious links.  A common example is claiming an account has been frozen and a password needs to be reset.  If the recipient clicks, the crooks will obtain access to accounts where they can then steal data or launch more targeted attacks against your company.

According to the 2021 Verizon Data Breach Investigation Report, phishing was present in 36% of breaches. Other reports show that over 90% of cyber-attacks begin with a phishing email and more than 97% of users cannot recognize a sophisticated phishing email. These stats alone make it clear why your firm must have cybersecurity training.  Make sure your staff can recognize an email phishing scam.

Why are phishing attacks hard to detect?

Traditional email security relies on reputation analysis, block lists, and signature-matching of malicious attachments and URLs. Spear phishing attacks are carefully designed to pass these checks and go undetected.   Oftentimes, emails start with trivial subjects such as ‘How was your weekend?’ or ‘Do you have five minutes?’ in order to test a firm’s security. These introductory emails have no URL, attachment, or payload included and they sail through a firm’s legacy defenses and SEGs, and don’t immediately appear suspicious to the target.

The reason for this technique? It allows them to identify weak spots and deliver the real attack email a few weeks later. Alternatively, if criminals find that they don’t get a bite from the initial bait email, they will likely move on.

So, how do you protect your firm?  Education!  Experts recommend users and organizations educate themselves and others on these continuing threats and tactics to reduce victimization.

We break down 5 tactics employed by hacker and offer tips on how to recognize an email phishing scam to protect your firm.

  1. Go to the Source

If you receive an email that looks to be legitimate, but you just want to be sure, you can check the email address of the sender. By looking at the email address to see what the domain of the sender is, you can easily determine if it is a legit email or if it is someone trying to pretend to be someone else. The giveaway is in the “@domainName.com” portion of the email address. Scammers will try and make the email address as authentic as possible so you should always double-check and verify the email address to make sure the sender is authentic.

  1. Look for Bad Spelling

Review the email closely.  The spelling and grammar in an email is a good indicator if the email is legit or if it is a fake. Sometimes the emails are very convincing but little things like a comma where a period would normally be or the way currency are typed (i.e. 3,00 instead of $3.00) is another clear indicator that the email is probably not authentic.

  1. Stay Calm and Don’t Give Away Personal Information

Emails that ask you to send sensitive Personally Identifiable Information (PII) are a red flag. Companies, financial institutions, etc. will never ask for this information via email.  You should also look for other not-so-obvious signs that would signify that the email isn’t authentic. These signs include things like random graphics or greetings that say “Dear Customer” instead of your name.

  1. Delete, Don’t Open or Forward

Sometimes, the email has a virus embedded in it and just opening the email will activate the virus without you even knowing. Don’t open the email, simply delete it. You should then notify your IT department and manager immediately that you have received a phishing email but DO NOT forward them the actual email. This will prevent the possible spread of the virus to other computers and users. Your organizations’ IT department will then take the necessary precautions and steps to limit the threat and make a note to prevent it from getting through your security in the future.

  1. Train and Test Your Employees

User security awareness training helps every employee recognize, avoid, and report potential threats that can compromise critical data and systems. As part of the training, mock phishing and other attack simulations are typically used to test and reinforce good behavior.  EMCO Technology can provide this kind of testing and training to your team.   Using specific applications, we can deploy several types of email tests to your team to identify those who are vulnerable to Phishing attacks.   The results will not only show you the vulnerabilities, but we will then show your employees how and why the succumb to an attack.  This simple, easy to understand training will educate the employee to prevent them being a future victim.

If you follow these tips and strategies, you will be sure to help to prevent any spread of scams and viruses across your firm.

Do you think you are prepared?  Take this FCC Quiz to see  https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/small-businesses/cybersecurity/quiz/phishing

If you fail the quiz, book a no obligation call with us and let’s discuss how to better protect your firm.

How do Law Firms secure their remote workforce?

We all know the COVID pandemic changed how we work in a sudden and unplanned fashion. Now, 3 years later, many companies, including our law firm clients, are still shifting their work environments, and trying to navigate that shift while being secure and flexible. How secure is your remote workforce?

Has your work environment changed over the past few years as well?   The law firms we currently work with tell us reducing office space has not only reduced their footprint but having their tech securely in place to allow for the remote and flexible environment gives them a competitive advantage when hiring new staff.

That sudden and unexpected move to remote work required technology to change on a dime with little planning, preparation, or training. Your staff probably had to navigate using personal, unsecure Wi-Fi, using cloud apps for the first time, jumping back and forth between work websites and applications and personal sites and apps.   All these challenges can leave your remote staff and your firm very susceptible to cybercrime and hackers.

Perhaps now is the time to review your IT systems, cloud, and hardware to better protect your staff, clients and firm as you continue to move through this new work environment. Do you have the right level of security? Does your team need training on working securely or in a cloud environment? Is your data backed up, archived and safe?

Hackers are counting on your insecurity

In the most recent survey on law firm cybersecurity by the American Bar Association revealed that more than 35% of law firms said their systems have been infected by a virus, spyware, or malware.

How do infections occur?

  • Not properly managing all devices and employees
  • Insecure passwords
  • Phishing emails
  • Using unsecured personal devices & networks
  • Video attacks
  • Weak backup and recovery systems
  • Not connecting over VPNs
  • Not using multi-factor authentication

Too often, companies won’t know of the weakness until a hack has occurred.

Hackers have adapted to the remote-worker surge and are counting on your workers to go home, connect to their Wi-Fi, and make a mistake so they can attack computers from one of the many connected devices in their home. So, what can you do?

7 Tips to Secure Your Remote Workforce:

  1. Use strong passwords for logging into computers and when creating Wi-Fi home networks; passwords should be at least twelve alphanumeric characters in length, be somewhat memorable, and have at least one special character
  2. Change the default login password for home routers and turn off remote management.
  3. Use those strong passwords for accessing other devices like phones, internet-connected printers, tablets, and iPads, just in case they end up in the wrong hands.
  4. Never share a firm computer with anyone, as it could come back with a virus. Even evidence that someone else used it can get you into trouble
  5. Make sure devices automatically “lock” in case you lose them, or they are stolen.
  6. Use encryption for sensitive data files.
  7. Use multifactor authentication that requires entering a code after logging in with a username and password.

Building Your Business Safely Through the Cloud 

That sudden and unexpected move to remote work that may be your firms’ way of life now, is more efficient and secure in a cloud environment.   With a cloud hosting provider who is totally focused on security, your law firm can spend more time focusing on delivering services to clients. EMCO Technology has over 20 years of experience offering cutting-edge legal technology including secure hosting to law firms. We’re dedicated to following the industry’s strictest compliance and data security regulations while allowing firms to offer attorneys a flexible working experience.

Here’s how EMCO law firms protect their assets. Each client receives:

RAPID RESPONSE

The average breach lasts an average of over 200 days before detection. That’s nearly 9 months! In this time, the average criminal can do whatever they want with you or your clients’ information, presenting a massive risk to your firm.

ACTIVELY MONITORING THREATS 24/7

The bad guys don’t work “normal business hours” so we monitor and search for threats year-round, nights and weekends with Security Analysts who know what to look for.

PROTECTION FROM MODERN THREATS

Hackers are now more advanced than ever before. The new Malware and Ransomware is designed to get past traditional solutions that no longer work.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

We use cutting-edge AI technology to keep you protected from today’s modern threats. We stay on top of the changes and trends, so you don’t have to.

Where is the “Get this Done” Button? 

You’re busy. You’d rather spend your time focusing on your clients than doing everything in this email. EMCO Technology offers cyber compliance services that do much of the work for you. Whether you need advice on a specific topic or are looking for those services, I’d be happy to help.

Please forward your preferred method of scheduling for a discovery call. Or, if you prefer, here is our sales manager’s  online calendar.

Why do law firms need cyber security? Law firms are ripe targets for potential hackers.

You store incredibly valuable, sensitive information and may even have access to trust accounts filled with your clients’ money. This makes you susceptible to theft and ransom.

However, your first line of defense to external threats to your firm is making sure your employees are educated and trained on how5 Steps to protect your Clients' and Firm's Data to operate securely.   According to a study by Computer Weekly, 84% of cyberattacks reported had been due to human error.  So how do you mitigate your firm’s risk of data breaches and keep your clients’ data as secure as possible?

Below are 5 steps your firm can take now to minimize the risk of a data security breach.

5 Steps to Protect Your Clients’ and Firm’s Data

  1. Conduct an Assessment. While performing periodic reviews of your own vulnerabilities, having a third party perform a security assessment can reveal more information using “fresh eyes” and cybersecurity scanning tools to survey your environment. The ABA reminds its members that some cyber insurance carriers may require that a third party perform an assessment and some clients may also want to know the status of your cybersecurity by requiring third party assessments or reviewing past assessments, policies and other documentation.
  2. Have Acceptable Use Policy for all employees in place. An acceptable use policy (AUP) explicitly outlines the rules employees must follow in regard to the firm’s network, software, computers, laptops, and mobile devices. It clearly states how employees should and shouldn’t use both employer-provided technology and personal mobile devices like smartphones and tablets.
  3. Take it to the Cloud. Numerous studies show that cloud-based solutions are more secure than on-site.  With a growing number of firm employees working remotely, cloud-based computing is an integral part of your operations and when staff is trained for security remote access your data is more secure and there is less of a chance for an external threat.
  4. Use A Password Manager. In the 2018 Aderant Business of Law and Legal Technology Survey, no more than 32% of respondents indicate they use a Password Manager.  Implementing and training your staff with the use of such a tool is the most affordable and simply way to keep your clients’ information safe.
  5. Have an Incident Response Plan. Even the most careful companies can’t guarantee they’ll never be a victim of hackers or cyber-crime, so it is imperative your firm drafts an Incident Response Plan just in case.

EMCO Technology has been a provider of IT and Data Security Management for law firms in the Philadelphia are for over 20 years.  We understand the unique needs of the legal industry and offer a variety of products and services to keep you safe.  We can provide you with the assessments, policies, software and training referenced in the list above.

Just as you wouldn’t want a client to represent themselves in court, we don’t want you to represent yourself in the world of IT security.  Let’s talk about your needs and how EMCO’s solutions can help.

How to Tackle CMMC from an M&A Perspective

Upcoming CMMC Webinar- January 27, 2022

How to Tackle CMMC from an M&A Perspective

Webinar Date & Time
Friday, January 27th, 2023 from 12:00 – 1:00 PM EST

It’s time to shift your mindset from “CMMC is a burdensome expense” to “CMMC is a competitive advantage”. Take it from Rick Zimmerman, who recently sold his aerospace company (a Boeing Defense subcontractor) after adopting a compliant IT infrastructure.

In this webinar, Rick is joined by his investment banker and technology consultant to discuss the turnkey solution that enabled him to achieve CMMC compliance, increase shop productivity, and sharply increase the value of the business before selling.

Why now?

Companies in the Aerospace & Defense supply chain are at varying states of implementation with CMMC 2.0, and many will not be ready for mandatory compliance when it’s required in 2023. Compliance issues can threaten businesses of all sizes, but for small and mid-sized businesses with growth goals, these lapses can be especially destructive.

Through this conversation between Rick Zimmerman, Trevor Bohn (KAL Capital Markets), and Ben Scully (Avatara), you will learn the quickest and most cost-effective path to get ready and avoid any business interruption. Register to uncover the secret to increasing your company’s value with CMMC compliance.

Can’t make it live? Register anyway and we’ll send you the recording afterwards.

PHISH-BE GONE? How to Spot and Defend Yourself Against Phishing Emails

Since the beginning of the pandemic, businesses have had to adapt and become more reliant on a remote landscape. By doing so, a lot of business and communication are handled over email. However, with businesses moving to a more remote setup, there is also a shift in cyber security threat vectors. One of the more popular ones that have increased is phishing scams. These phishing scams have not only increased, but they have also become more convincing as well as harder to detect at a glance.

With phishing email scams becoming more frequent in today’s cyber environment, it is more important now to be more vigilant. Unlike some other cyber security threats, there are things that you can do to prevent yourself from becoming a victim. By utilizing some of

the following tips and tricks, you can reduce not only yourself but also your organization from becoming a victim of cyber phishing scams.

Phishing email scams are one of the most common scams used in today’s landscape. However, they are detectable if you know how to identify them. One particular way to detect them is by going right to the source. If you receive an email that looks to be legit but you just want to be sure, you can check the email address of the sender. By looking at the email address to see what the domain of the sender is, you can easily determine if it is a legit email or if it is someone trying to pretend to be someone else. The giveaway is in the “@domainName.com” portion of the email address. Scammers will try and make the email address as authentic as possible so you should always double-check and verify the email address to make sure the sender is authentic.

A second preventative measure for preventing becoming a victim of phishing emails is to look at the way the email is written. “Legitimate companies have trained staff and whenever they send out large or small messages/emails to staff, they require double checking and then only they send emails to their staff.” The spelling and grammar in an email is a good indicator if the email is legit or if it is a fake. Sometimes the emails are very convincing but little things like a comma where a period would normally be or the way currency are typed (i.e. 3,00 instead of $3.00) is another clear indicator that the email is probably not authentic.

The third preventative measure should be an obvious giveaway. If you receive an email that is requesting you to send sensitive Personally Identifiable Information (PII) across email is a very unsafe practice. “If your bank emails you to send your account number through email or asking for your username and password through email, it is recommended to not to send it.” You should also look for other not-so-obvious signs that would signify that the email isn’t authentic. Things like random graphics or greetings that say “Dear Customer” instead of your name. “Hackers often rush to get phishing sites up, so some of them will look significantly different from the original company.”

If you do receive a phishing email, there are a few things that you should do immediately. You should first not open it and delete it “since most viruses activate when you open an attachment or click a link within an email.” Sometimes, the email has a virus embedded in it and just opening the email will activate the virus without you even knowing. You should then notify your IT department and manager immediately that you have received a phishing email but DO NOT forward them the actual email. This will prevent the possible spread of the virus to other computers and users. Your organizations’ IT department will then take the necessary precautions and steps to limit the threat and make a note to prevent it from getting through your security in the future. If you follow these tips and strategies, you will be sure to help to prevent any spread of scams and viruses across your organization.

Written by: Robert Johnson, EMCO Technology, Inc.

Code Phishing – The Growing Scam of the Pandemic

As the world of technology continues to expand, so does the number of threatQR Codes vectors that could possibly compromise the security of an individual and company alike. As the landscape for the threats continues to change, the more important it is for everyone to be more vigilant and aware of the potential dangers that are beginning to pop up more and more. One of the major ways that are being targeted is being utilized more and more by restaurants and other retailers alike. QR codes have now become just one of the latest ways that attackers will try and gain access to devices of unsuspecting customers alike. QR codes have now become just one of the latest ways that attackers will try and gain access to devices of unsuspecting customers.

QR codes are bar-code like objects that are used for a number of things. They can be used to easily navigate to a specific website for a retailer or to data storage as well. They are not only used in retail, they are also used in video games as well as other activities like geocaching. While these companies and activities can be legitimately using the QR codes, hackers are using the public’s blind trust of seeing them at stores and restaurants to gain access to unsuspecting victim’s devices.

An example of how they do this is particularly at restaurants. Since COVID-19 began and then restaurants began reopening again, many of them utilize QR codes for customers to see the menu. By doing this, it makes it much easier for customers to see the whole menu for the restaurant. However, hackers know this and will create their own QR codes and drop them on tables or on the floor near tables. They are hoping that a customer will scan it with their device and once they do, it will either download data to their device without the user knowing it or it can even navigate them to a fake website that the hacker has set up in the hopes of the customer entering personal information like email addresses or passwords.

Once a hacker has access to the device, they can gather any and all the information that they would like. They can use the information entered by the user to start phishing attacks by email spoofing or even just gaining access to your email to read and exploit using your email address or even gain access to your financial information. There are things that you can do in order to help prevent it from happening to you or your organization.


Computer.org gathered a list of ways to prevent this from happening to you. They recommend “scanning QR codes of trusted sources only, regularly update your device’s security as well as remain vigilant.” Another way to limit your exposure is using a QR code reader. Apps like Kaspersky’s QR code Reader and Scanner offer the ability to scan QR codes with a little more confidence. Beaconstac.com has rated this app one of the best because “it offers Kaspersky’s safety checks that ensure a QR code doesn’t lead to a dangerous link or malicious content” as well as “keeps a history of all QR scans done within the app.”

Written by: Robert Johnson, EMCO Technology, Inc.