Fort
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As groundbreaking leaders in personal security and risk management for travelers, we stand ready to equip and serve as you are called to the ends of the Earth.
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ARE YOU PREPARED?
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TIPS & ADVICE

Are You Sure They Are Who They Say They Are??
Did you know that Business Email Compromise is one of the most financially damaging online crimes?
Criminals send an email message that appears to come from a known source making a legitimate request, like in these real life examples:
~ A vendor that your organization regularly deals with sends an invoice with an updated mailing address.
~ A company CEO asks her assistant to purchase dozens of gift cards to send out as employee rewards. She asks for the serial numbers so she can email them out right away.
~ A homebuyer receives a message from his title company with instructions on how to wire his down payment.
All the messages received were fake. And in each case, thousands—or even hundreds of thousands—of dollars were sent to criminals instead.
How Do They Do It?
~ Spoof an email account or website. Slight variations on legitimate addresses (john.kelly@examplecompany.com vs. john.kelley@examplecompany.com) fool victims into thinking fake accounts are authentic.
~ Send spearphishing emails. These messages look like they’re from a trusted sender to trick victims into revealing confidential information. That information lets criminals access company accounts, calendars, and data that gives them the details they need to carry out the schemes.
~ Use malware. Malicious software can infiltrate company networks and gain access to legitimate email threads about billing and invoices. That information is used to time requests or send messages so accountants or financial officers don’t question payment requests. Malware also lets criminals gain undetected access to a victim’s data, including passwords and financial account information.
How Do We Protect Ourselves?
1. Be careful with what information you share online or on social media. By openly sharing things like pet names, schools you attended, links to family members, and your birthday, you can give a scammer all the information they need to guess your password or answer your security questions. Think FB questionnaires from “friends”
2. Don’t click on anything in an unsolicited email or text message asking you to update or verify account information. Look up the company’s phone number on your own (don’t use the one listed on the message), and call the company to ask if the request is legitimate.
3. Carefully examine the email address, URL, and spelling used in any message. Scammers use slight differences to trick your eye and gain your trust.
4. Be careful what you download. Never open an email attachment from someone you don't know and be cautious of email attachments forwarded to you.
5. Set up two-factor (or multi-factor) authentication on any account that allows it, and never disable it.
Did you know that Business Email Compromise is one of the most financially damaging online crimes?
Criminals send an email message that appears to come from a known source making a legitimate request, like in these real life examples:
~ A vendor that your organization regularly deals with sends an invoice with an updated mailing address.
~ A company CEO asks her assistant to purchase dozens of gift cards to send out as employee rewards. She asks for the serial numbers so she can email them out right away.
~ A homebuyer receives a message from his title company with instructions on how to wire his down payment.
All the messages received were fake. And in each case, thousands—or even hundreds of thousands—of dollars were sent to criminals instead.
How Do They Do It?
~ Spoof an email account or website. Slight variations on legitimate addresses (john.kelly@examplecompany.com vs. john.kelley@examplecompany.com) fool victims into thinking fake accounts are authentic.
~ Send spearphishing emails. These messages look like they’re from a trusted sender to trick victims into revealing confidential information. That information lets criminals access company accounts, calendars, and data that gives them the details they need to carry out the schemes.
~ Use malware. Malicious software can infiltrate company networks and gain access to legitimate email threads about billing and invoices. That information is used to time requests or send messages so accountants or financial officers don’t question payment requests. Malware also lets criminals gain undetected access to a victim’s data, including passwords and financial account information.
How Do We Protect Ourselves?
1. Be careful with what information you share online or on social media. By openly sharing things like pet names, schools you attended, links to family members, and your birthday, you can give a scammer all the information they need to guess your password or answer your security questions. Think FB questionnaires from “friends”
2. Don’t click on anything in an unsolicited email or text message asking you to update or verify account information. Look up the company’s phone number on your own (don’t use the one listed on the message), and call the company to ask if the request is legitimate.
3. Carefully examine the email address, URL, and spelling used in any message. Scammers use slight differences to trick your eye and gain your trust.
4. Be careful what you download. Never open an email attachment from someone you don't know and be cautious of email attachments forwarded to you.
5. Set up two-factor (or multi-factor) authentication on any account that allows it, and never disable it.

HOW CRACK-ABLE ARE YOU?
Brute-force hacking can crack an eight-character password in less than one hour, according to Hive Systems.
In a recently published research article, the security news firm says any password with less than seven characters can be brute-forced "INSTANTLY". Its findings show how more accessible and affordable cloud computing services make it simpler to crack passwords than two years ago, when the company showed that a relatively strong, eight-character password was crackable in eight hours.
While password managers are the best bet for protecting passwords, research also showed that a 12-character password created by a password manager could take some 3,000 YEARS to brute-force crack. Check out this password table of its findings on password-character combinations and their vulnerabilities to brute-force hacks.
Brute-force hacking can crack an eight-character password in less than one hour, according to Hive Systems.
In a recently published research article, the security news firm says any password with less than seven characters can be brute-forced "INSTANTLY". Its findings show how more accessible and affordable cloud computing services make it simpler to crack passwords than two years ago, when the company showed that a relatively strong, eight-character password was crackable in eight hours.
While password managers are the best bet for protecting passwords, research also showed that a 12-character password created by a password manager could take some 3,000 YEARS to brute-force crack. Check out this password table of its findings on password-character combinations and their vulnerabilities to brute-force hacks.