October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month and is a great time for businesses to incorporate educational opportunities for employees to keep them safe online at work.

At Red Earth Software we fully understand how critical it is to protect your business with effective safeguards like anti-spam software that effectively blocks junk mail and spam messages.

Keep in mind that cyber security in the workplace is just as much about protecting your business as it is about protecting your customers. Data breaches not only expose information about your company, but they can also expose your customers’ confidential information. Phishing attacks have been around for some time now but with the increasing sophistication and rise of individualized spear phishing attacks, they are becoming harder to spot.

“Successful phishing attacks are launched through emails that all have one thing in common: they seem like they have originated from a legitimate or well-known source, like a bank,” says Deborah Galea, COO and co-founder of Red Earth Software. “The recipient then unwittingly provides passwords and other sensitive information or clicks on a link that infects their computer with malware. For SMBs, a good way to fight these attacks is to install anti-spam software and anti-virus software and make sure it’s kept up to date. Email filtering software can help as well. In addition, it’s wise to have a sound email policy in place and make sure your employees are educated about the dangers of phishing. Your email policy should spell out the warning signs of a phishing attack and provide steps to take when an email is received requesting passwords or sensitive data. Having a set policy can make a significant difference in whether or not your company ends up a phishing victim.”

Stay tuned for more tips on how to protect your sensitive email data.