Email attacks, such as phishing, ransomware, and spoofing, pose significant cybersecurity threats. To protect yourself and your organization from these attacks, it’s essential to implement proactive strategies and follow best practices:

Recognizing Email Attack Red Flags

Recognizing the red flags of email attacks is crucial to staying safe from cyber threats. Many email attacks rely on deception, and being vigilant can help you avoid falling victim to them. Here are common signs that an email may be part of an attack:

• Generic Greetings: Legitimate organizations typically address you by your name in emails. Be cautious of emails that use generic greetings like “Dear Customer” or “Dear User.”

• Urgent Language: Cybercriminals often use urgency to pressure recipients. If an email insists on immediate action, such as claiming your account will be suspended unless you act quickly, it’s a red flag.

• Mismatched URLs: Hover your mouse pointer over any links in the email without clicking. If the URL doesn’t match the organization’s official website or looks suspicious, it’s likely a phishing attempt.

Phishing Awareness Training

Phishing awareness training is a critical component of email security. It involves educating individuals and employees about the risks associated with phishing attacks and providing them with the knowledge and tools to recognize and avoid falling victim to these scams. Here are key aspects of phishing awareness training:

• Phishing Basics: Start by explaining what phishing is and how it works. Describe how cybercriminals use deceptive emails to trick individuals into revealing sensitive information, clicking on malicious links, or downloading malware.

• Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Promote the use of multi-factor authentication (MFA) as an added layer of security for email accounts. Explain how MFA can thwart phishing attempts by requiring an additional verification step.

• Phishing Reporting Tools: Provide employees with tools or software that allow them to easily report suspicious emails. These tools can help organizations collect data on phishing attempts and improve security measures.

• Secure Password Practices: Incorporate training on secure password practices, as strong and unique passwords can prevent unauthorized access to accounts even if phishing attempts are made.

Spear phishing

Malicious email spoofing attack that targets a specific organization or individual, seeking unauthorized access to sensitive information. Spear phishing attempts are not typically initiated by random hackers, but are more likely to be conducted by perpetrators out for financial gain, trade secrets or military information.

• Cybersecurity Training and Awareness: Spearhead cybersecurity training programs within your organization. Ensure that employees are educated about email attack risks, red flags, and safe email practices.
• Multi-Layered Security Measures: Advocate for the implementation of multi-layered email security measures, including advanced threat detection, email filtering, and anti-phishing tools.

• Vendor Due Diligence: Take a lead role in vetting and assessing email security vendors and services. Ensure that vendors meet the highest security standards.

• Incident Response Planning: Spearhead the development of an incident response plan specific to email attacks. Ensure that your organization is prepared to respond effectively if an attack occurs.

Bad Email Links

Bad email links are a common vehicle for email attacks, including phishing and malware distribution. To protect yourself from these threats, here’s what you can do:

• Hover Before You Click: Always hover your mouse pointer over a link in an email without clicking. This action reveals the actual URL destination in the status bar or as a tooltip. Verify that the displayed URL matches the expected destination. If it looks suspicious or unfamiliar, do not click.

• Examine the URL Carefully: Scrutinize the entire URL, especially the domain name. Cybercriminals often use deceptive domain names or slight misspellings to mimic legitimate websites. Be cautious of URLs with extra characters or unusual extensions.

• Avoid Clicking on Unsolicited Links: If you receive an unsolicited email with a link, especially if it’s from an unknown source, refrain from clicking. Delete the email or report it as spam.

• Implement Security Software: Install and regularly update security software, including antivirus and anti-malware programs. These tools can detect and block malicious links.

• Keep Software Updated: Ensure that your email client, web browser, and operating system are regularly updated. Updates often include security patches that protect against known vulnerabilities.

The Microsoft ecosystem

• Microsoft 365 offers businesses seamless integration with other Microsoft products such as Outlook, SharePoint, and Teams.
• The platform also boasts advanced security and compliance features like data loss prevention and multi-factor authentication.
• Yottability’s Managed Microsoft 365 service leverages the power of Microsoft’s ecosystem to provide a comprehensive solution for businesses.
• Microsoft’s ecosystem is a collection of products, services, and technologies, including popular products like Windows, Office, and Azure.
• It is a cloud-based business applications platform that combines components of Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), productivity applications, and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
• This ecosystem comprises five distinct pillars within the Microsoft stack, providing a versatile foundation for businesses.

Industry Standard for Business

• A Managed Microsoft 365 platform delivers deeper integration with other Microsoft products and services like Azure Active Directory, Power BI, and SharePoint.
• This integration facilitates improved collaboration and data sharing across organizations. Microsoft 365 also has a strong focus on security and compliance, offering built-in tools and features such as multi-factor authentication, conditional access, and data loss prevention to help businesses meet regulatory requirements and protect sensitive data.

Azure Active Directory

• Azure Active Directory (AD) is a cloud-based identity and access management service. It allows employees to access external resources, such as Microsoft 365, the Azure portal, and thousands of SaaS applications with a single account.
• Azure AD enables Single Sign-On (SSO), Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), and centralized Identity Management, simplifying access control and reducing the number of passwords users need to remember.

SharePoint and OneDrive

• OneDrive and SharePoint are cloud-based file storage and collaboration platforms that are part of the Microsoft 365 suite of tools. Both platforms offer features such as file storage, collaboration, integration with other Microsoft 365 applications, robust security features, scalability, and accessibility from anywhere.
• These benefits can help organizations increase productivity, improve communication, and streamline operations.

Microsoft Teams

• Microsoft Teams is a collaboration and communication platform that is part of the Microsoft 365 suite of tools.
•  It offers real-time collaboration through features like chat, video conferencing, and file sharing, accessible from any device with an internet connection.
• Teams can be used by companies of any size, helping to increase productivity and improve communication among team members, regardless of their location.

Outlook

• Outlook serves as a hub for effective communication at work, providing integration across email, calendar, and contacts.
• It offers features like scheduling meeting rooms, sharing and delegating calendars, and offline access to email.
• Outlook’s consistent user experience minimizes the need for training and allows users to focus on their tasks.

Augmented reality is an advanced version of reality that uses technology to provide digital information with an image of something. Virtual reality is a technology that creates a simulated environment with the aid of computer technology that offers a realistic user interface.

Augmented reality and Virtual reality

The terms augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are commonplace in technology. If you work in the field, you probably already know the key differences between the two but for the everyday person, the differences aren’t so obvious.

Choosing whether AR or VR is better depends on the application. In some situations, AR is a much better choice. For others, VR is more appropriate. They both enhance or change reality in one way or another but with VR, these changes are a lot more drastic.

For example, Augmented Reality (AR) & Virtual Reality (VR) in the Healthcare industry for a Leading company is an intelligent process of gathering and analyzing the numerical data related to services and products. This Augmented Reality (AR) & Virtual Reality (VR) in Healthcare Research Give ideas to your targeted customer’s understanding, needs, and wants.
An example of AR may be an advanced operation that allows the doctor to see real life while overlaying tools and applications to make tasks and operations more accurate and efficient.
An example of VR may completely virtual environment where the surgeon can practice tasks or even techniques for future surgeries.

What are the use cases for augmented reality vs virtual reality?

• Education — Help students understand abstract concepts in the learning and teaching process it provides environments where students can share information within the group.
• Retail Stores — Appliances, Furniture, & Other Tangible Products; customers click on a product and instantly see it overlaid wherever they point their mobile device. That means customers can see how appliances and furniture look in their homes.
• Fashion – Simulates in-person shopping experiences online by allowing customers to see how a product might look on them. Some people call this virtual fitting room technology.

Virtual Reality

• Automotive industry — Virtual reality technology can become a sales-boosting mechanism for car manufacturers and dealers. They have the opportunity to raise online sales via virtual showrooms, where potential customers will inspect 3D cars’ exterior and interior and have a test drive – all without leaving their homes.
• Healthcare — is a powerful diagnostic tool, which helps doctors and physicians to carry out accurate diagnoses. This is done in combination with other methods, such as MRI/CT scans, and eliminates the need for any kind of invasive techniques, making it a pain-free experience for the patient.
• Retail — to show that they are open to customers and want them to feel their culture and identity. By using the technology, brands can interact with customers and allow them to visit the store’s virtual settings without stepping outside their apartment.

             
Companies often implement monitoring systems on work-related devices for security reasons, if your company deals with sensitive material, or especially if you are dealing with what can be named essential data (health records, financial data) you can likely bet your employer needs to know where the companies’ data is. 

Don’t use work-related devices for personal use or storage.  

1. For the company, and yourself, it is essential for you to only use approved applications and avoid using public Wi-Fi for the company you work for, with a working account and viable password with it.
2. The company in question has no clue where their data is, or where the customer’s data is.
3. If a company uses one drive, and a new employee is using their personal dropbox to exchange important information, the company’s information is at high risk of cyber invasion and the loss of vital information.  
4.  It’s likely that some of the personal applications they use may not be as stringent with their security requirements. 

Platforms like Google Docs, Slack, or similar. 

1. Since it’s online and not software installed on our computers, it’s easy to think of G Suite, which includes services like Gmail, Google Docs, and Sheets, as private productivity software.
2. Administrative users like on G Suite Enterprise can look up any phrase to find information on these platforms, just as you can in your own personal account.
3. Employers can set up audits to be notified of suspicious behavior, with the option of creating custom scripts to retain data.
4. Although it may be convenient, using the personal information on your work-provided device can put you and your company’s data in harm’s way. To prevent this from happening, it is up to each employee as an individual to only use approved methods of communication and to save information on secure Wi-Fi networks.  

What can be done to protect both you and your company’s data? 

1. Only use company approved applications, with secure and approved usernames and passwords 
2. Keep personal information off of your work device.  
3. Don’t use online platforms such as Gmail, for private information, this can be accessed, even if only saved in drafts.
4. Always assume your internet traffic is being monitored.
5. Be careful with working in public with your issued device, use secure Wi-FI.

New Features in Microsoft Teams and Office

Microsoft is expanding its feature in Teams and Office to further accommodate workers that are working in a hybrid environment. These features will begin rolling out in September 2021 and will continue to be added through early 2022. A key new feature in Teams will allow for workers that are in the same room doing video conferencing to have individual video panes. In-person workers will no longer need to share a video with the entire conference room, and will instead be able to use their individual cameras in hybrid format teleconferences. An additional upcoming feature will enable presenters to show their videos/face directly on the slides of PowerPoints while presenting. Microsoft continues to add features to accommodate remote and hybrid workers, and more innovations will continue to be added.

Rollout of the New Windows 11 Operating System

Microsoft is set to release the new Windows 11 operating system on October 5, 2021. The rollout will be gradual, with eligible devices receiving the update throughout the remainder of 2021. Windows 11 will feature several new features and upgrades from Windows 10, which was first released 6 years ago. One of these key changes is to the overall look and desktop design. The overall desktop interface and will allow for increased customizable through widgets, virtual desktops, and snap grouping. Further new features include Microsoft Teams integration into the operating system, as well as additional integration with Android device and apps.

Shutting Off of old Outlook Clients from 365 Services

Microsoft has been pushing its customer to switch from its old license based model to a subscription based service for Office and Outlook called 365. On November 1, 2021, the Company will shut off customers using Outlook 2007 and 2010 from using their employer’s 365 services. This will render these older Outlook user’s account unusable without an upgrade. This move is a strong signal that Microsoft is committed to the Office 365 subscription model as the future of the Office platform.

Price Increase of Office/Microsoft 365 Subscriptions

For every remote meeting, establish an agenda so employees know what to expect. This also helps the meeting stay on track.

On March 1, 2022, Microsoft is set to raise the price of the subscription costs for several of its Office 365 plans. The magnitude of the increases depends on the specific plan, but range from 9% to 25% per month. Please find the scheduled increases on the plans below:

• Microsoft 365 Business Basic, up $1 to $6 per month, per user.
• Microsoft 365 Business Premium, up $2 to $22 per month, per user.
• Office 365 E1, up $2 to $10 per month, per user.
• Office 365 E3, up $3 to $23 per month, per user.
• Office 365 E5, up $3 to $38 per month, per user.
• Microsoft 365 E3, up $4 to $36 per month, per user.