Have You Been Spoofed?

Recently, there has been an increase in the number of spoofing accounts targeting important people at different companies or organizations. Email spoofing is the creation of an email message with a forged sender address. A hacker can use websites and social media to find your social circle and your various email accounts. Once they build a list of people that might be associated with you, they’ll start a spoofing email in which they pretend to be you.

Here are some tips to reduce the chance of spoofing:

1. Choose a Strong Password
   1. This will prevent your email address and contacts from being easily accessed, which would prevent the hacker from viewing your friends list.
2. Check the Filters and Blocked Addresses Section of Email
   1. Make sure your email isn’t being automatically forwarded to unknown accounts using a “Forward to” filter or something similar
   2. Check filters that automatically delete messages with certain text like “hacked” or “not you”
3. Update your Browser
   1. You can check the version by going to https://updatemybrowser.org/
4. File a Report
   1. Contact the appropriate authorities, and possibly the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

Anthony Buonaspina, BSEE, BSCS,CPACC

Anthony has been in the MSP business since before the acronym existed. Managed IT once started as break-fix solutions and some light phone support.

Since then, he has seen the industry flourish into a landscape of platforms, cloud servers, software tools and AI . Tailoring network configurations and software stacks to the specific needs of each business.

In his current role, he focuses on proactive planning, ensuring clients can avoid potential issues altogether. This involves meticulous planning for enhanced business continuity, allowing swift resolution of any unforeseen challenges. What initially began as addressing "fires" through break-fix solutions has evolved into a proactive approach, ensuring that such issues are prevented from arising in the first place.