Author: J. Mesa

By J. Mesa

Most small businesses run on Microsoft 365. Email, calendars, files, and Teams all sit behind one sign-in. Criminals know that, so a Microsoft 365 account is the most common target in business email compromise. Microsoft supplies strong protections with most plans, and many of them stay switched off until someone turns them on. Work through this list with whoever manages your tenant.

Is Microsoft 365 secure by default?

Partly. Microsoft secures its data centers and the service. You are responsible for how your accounts are set up: who can sign in, how they prove who they are, and what they can share. Microsoft calls this the shared responsibility model. A tenant left on its original settings from years ago has gaps that attackers use every day.

What are the most important Microsoft 365 security settings?

1. Require multi-factor authentication for everyone. This single setting blocks the large majority of account takeovers. No exceptions for the owner. If your tenant has no custom policies, turn on Security Defaults in the Microsoft Entra admin center. It requires all users to register for multi-factor authentication and costs nothing.

1. Protect administrator accounts. Give each administrator a separate account used only for admin work, with no mailbox and no daily use. Keep the number of Global Administrators between two and four. Require the strongest sign-in method you have on those accounts.

1. Block legacy authentication. Old protocols such as POP, IMAP, and basic SMTP authentication can’t perform multi-factor authentication, so attackers use them to get around it. Security Defaults blocks them. Confirm that no old copier, scanner, or app still depends on them, and replace what does.

1. Use the authenticator app with number matching. Text message codes are better than nothing, and they can be intercepted. The Microsoft Authenticator app with number matching resists the “approve this prompt” trick.

1. Turn on the email protections. In the Microsoft Defender portal, apply the Standard preset security policy. It sets anti-phishing, anti-spam, and anti-malware protection to Microsoft’s recommended levels. With Business Premium or Defender for Office 365, it also enables Safe Links and Safe Attachments, which check links and files when a user opens them.

1. Turn on impersonation protection. List your owners, executives, and finance staff as protected users, and your own domain as a protected domain. The filter then flags mail that poses as them.

1. Tag external email. Enable the external sender tag in Outlook, so staff can see when a message “from the boss” came from outside the company.

1. Block automatic forwarding to outside addresses. After taking over a mailbox, an attacker often creates a rule that forwards a copy of every message to an outside account. Disable external auto-forwarding in the outbound spam policy.

1. Confirm that auditing is on. The unified audit log records sign-ins, mailbox access, rule changes, and file activity. You need it to investigate an incident. Verify it is enabled in the Microsoft Purview portal, and know how long your plan retains it.

1. Tighten sharing. In the SharePoint admin center, change the default sharing link from “Anyone with the link” to “Specific people.” Set guest links to expire. Review which sites allow outside sharing at all.

1. Stop users from approving apps. Attackers trick users into granting a malicious app permission to read their mail, which survives a password change. In Entra, restrict user consent so that an administrator must approve new apps.

1. Publish SPF, DKIM, and DMARC for your domain. These DNS records stop others from sending mail that claims to come from your address. Google and Yahoo began requiring them from bulk senders in February of this year.

Which Microsoft 365 plan should a small business buy?

For most businesses under 300 users, Business Premium gives the best security value. Compared with Business Standard, it adds:

• Conditional Access, which lets you set sign-in rules by user, location, and device
• Defender for Office 365, with Safe Links and Safe Attachments
• Defender for Business, an endpoint detection and response tool for your computers
• Intune, to manage and wipe laptops and phones
• Information protection, to label and encrypt sensitive files

Bought separately, those tools cost far more than the price difference between the plans.

What is Conditional Access?

Conditional Access is a rules engine for sign-ins. Each rule says: when this kind of user signs in to this app under these conditions, require this. Useful starting rules:

• Require multi-factor authentication for all users
• Require stronger authentication for administrators
• Block legacy authentication
• Block sign-ins from countries where you have no staff
• Require a managed, compliant device to reach company data

Before you enforce any rule, create one emergency “break glass” administrator account with a long random password stored in a safe, and exclude it from the policies. It keeps you from locking yourself out.

How do I check my Microsoft 365 security?

Open Microsoft Secure Score in the Defender portal. It grades your tenant against Microsoft’s recommendations and lists each improvement with instructions. Treat the score as a to-do list. Work from the top, and check it each quarter.

How do I know whether a mailbox has been hacked?

Look for these signs:

• Inbox rules the user did not create, often ones that move mail to the RSS Feeds or Conversation History folder or mark it as read
• Forwarding to an unknown outside address
• Sign-ins from unfamiliar cities or countries in the sign-in log
• Sent messages the user did not write
• Contacts reporting strange emails from the user
• Multi-factor prompts the user did not start
• A new authentication method or device registered on the account

What should I do if an account is compromised?

1. Reset the password.
2. Revoke all active sessions, so stolen tokens stop working.
3. Review and remove unknown multi-factor methods and devices.
4. Delete suspicious inbox rules and forwarding.
5. Review app consents and remove any the user does not recognize.
6. Search the audit log to learn what the attacker read and sent.
7. Warn the contacts who received messages, and your bank if invoices or payments were discussed.
8. Ask your attorney whether the mailbox held data that triggers a notification duty.

Do I need to back up Microsoft 365?

Yes. Microsoft keeps the service running. Retention settings and the recycle bin cover short-term mistakes. They do not protect against a deletion nobody notices for months, a malicious insider, or ransomware that syncs encrypted files. A third-party backup for Exchange, OneDrive, and SharePoint costs a few dollars per user each month.

What mistakes do small businesses make?

• Exempting the owner from multi-factor authentication
• Using a Global Administrator account for daily email
• Leaving former employees’ accounts active and licensed
• Sharing one mailbox password among several people in place of a shared mailbox
• Leaving “Anyone” sharing links as the default
• Ignoring Secure Score
• Assuming the IT provider configured everything, with nothing in writing

How does this apply to Google Workspace?

The same principles hold: enforce two-step verification for all users, protect administrator accounts, turn on the advanced phishing and malware settings, restrict third-party app access, limit external sharing, and publish SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.

Your next step

Sign in to the admin center today and answer one question: does every account, including the owner’s, require multi-factor authentication? Then open Secure Score. Cerberus Cybersecurity reviews Microsoft 365 configurations as part of our risk and compliance assessments and writes the access policies behind them. Contact us for a review, or see our training to prepare your staff.

By J. Mesa

Your cyber insurance renewal form asks whether you run EDR on all endpoints. You run antivirus. Are those the same thing? They are not, and the gap between them explains why businesses with up-to-date antivirus still get hit by ransomware.

What is antivirus?

Antivirus is software that scans files and programs for known malicious code and blocks or removes what it finds. Traditional antivirus works from signatures. A signature is a fingerprint of a known piece of malware. The vendor updates the list, and the software compares each file against it.

Modern products, often sold as next-generation antivirus, add machine learning and behavior checks that catch some malware nobody has seen before.

What is EDR?

EDR stands for endpoint detection and response. An endpoint is any device that connects to your network: a laptop, a desktop, a server. EDR software records what happens on each endpoint, looks for suspicious behavior, alerts you, and gives you tools to investigate and contain an attack.

Think of antivirus as a lock that keeps known burglars out. EDR is a camera system with a guard: it watches what happens inside, notices someone acting wrong, and lets you lock the room they are in.

What is the difference between antivirus and EDR?

• What it looks for. Antivirus looks for bad files. EDR looks for bad behavior.
• When it acts. Antivirus acts at the moment a file arrives or runs. EDR keeps watching after that moment.
• What it records. Antivirus logs a detection. EDR records processes, network connections, logins, and changes, so you can trace how an attack unfolded.
• How you respond. Antivirus quarantines a file. EDR lets you isolate a computer from the network, stop a process, and in some products roll back changes.
• Who it needs. Antivirus runs with little attention. EDR produces alerts that a trained person must review.

Why is antivirus no longer enough?

Attackers changed their methods.

• Stolen logins. Many break-ins use a real username and password. No malicious file exists for antivirus to catch.
• Living off the land. Attackers use tools already built into Windows, such as PowerShell and remote administration utilities. To antivirus, those look like normal programs.
• Fileless attacks. Malicious code runs in memory and never touches the disk.
• Custom malware. Criminals alter their code for each victim, so no signature matches.
• Hands-on attacks. In a modern ransomware case, a person works inside the network for days: stealing data, finding backups, and disabling security tools before the encryption starts. Each step is a chance to catch them, and antivirus sees few of those steps.

EDR is built to notice that chain. A word processor that launches a command prompt, which downloads a tool, which starts copying password data, tells a story no single file reveals.

What is MDR?

MDR stands for managed detection and response. It is EDR software plus a team of security analysts who watch the alerts for you around the clock, investigate, and act.

For a small business this matters more than the software. EDR raises an alert at 2 a.m. on a Saturday. Someone has to see it, decide whether it is real, and isolate the machine before the attack spreads. Few small businesses have that person. An MDR provider does.

What is XDR?

XDR, or extended detection and response, widens the view beyond endpoints to include email, identity systems, cloud services, and the network. It connects events across those sources. An XDR tool might link a suspicious sign-in to your email with odd activity on a laptop an hour later. Many EDR vendors now sell XDR as the next tier up.

Does my small business need EDR?

In most cases, yes. Choose EDR or MDR if any of these apply:

• You hold sensitive data: patient records, financial records, card data, or client files
• A regulation such as HIPAA, PCI DSS, or the FTC Safeguards Rule covers you
• You are applying for or renewing cyber insurance
• You run servers or have staff working remotely
• Downtime of a few days would threaten the business

A very small office with a few computers, everything in the cloud, and no regulated data can start with the protection built into Windows, turned on and kept current, alongside multi-factor authentication and backups. Revisit that choice each year.

Do cyber insurers require EDR?

Many now do. Applications ask whether EDR runs on all workstations and servers, and some carriers decline or surcharge businesses without it. Answer accurately. If the form says EDR covers every endpoint and a claim investigation finds half your machines unprotected, the insurer has grounds to contest the claim.

How much does EDR cost?

Prices vary by vendor and volume. Rough ranges for a small business:

• Business antivirus: $3 to $6 per device per month
• EDR software: $5 to $15 per device per month
• MDR, with monitoring included: $10 to $30 per device per month

Many managed IT providers bundle EDR or MDR into their monthly fee. Ask yours what you have today.

Is Microsoft Defender good enough?

Be precise about which Defender. The name covers several products.

• Microsoft Defender Antivirus comes free with Windows 10 and 11. It is a solid antivirus. It is not EDR.
• Microsoft Defender for Business adds EDR features for companies with up to 300 users. It is included in Microsoft 365 Business Premium and sold on its own.
• Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is the enterprise product.

If you already pay for Business Premium, you own an EDR tool. Someone still has to deploy it to every device and watch its alerts.

How do I choose an EDR or MDR product?

Ask these questions.

1. Who watches the alerts, and during what hours?
2. What actions will the provider take without calling me first, and which ones need my approval?
3. How fast do they respond to a serious alert?
4. Does the product cover Windows, Mac, and servers?
5. Can it isolate a device and roll back ransomware changes?
6. How does it perform in independent tests, such as the MITRE ATT&CK evaluations?
7. Can someone with administrator rights on a computer turn it off? Good products resist tampering.
8. What reports will I receive, and can I show them to my insurer or an auditor?
9. Does it work with my IT provider’s tools?

Can I run antivirus and EDR together?

Most EDR products include their own antivirus component and replace the old one. Running two antivirus engines side by side causes slowdowns and conflicts. Follow the vendor’s guidance, and remove the old product fully before installing the new one.

Does EDR replace my other protections?

No. EDR detects and limits an attack in progress. You still need the controls that prevent one and the ones that let you recover:

• Multi-factor authentication
• Prompt software updates
• Tested, offline backups
• Email filtering
• Limited administrator rights
• Staff training, since many attacks start with a phishing email

What are the common mistakes?

• Installing EDR on workstations and skipping the servers, where the valuable data lives
• Leaving a few “problem” computers unprotected
• Sending alerts to an inbox nobody reads
• Running the product in alert-only mode, so it reports attacks and blocks nothing
• Assuming the IT provider monitors alerts without confirming it in writing
• Buying the tool and never testing whether anyone responds

Your next step

Ask your IT provider three questions this week: which endpoint protection do we run, is it on every computer and server, and who responds to an alert at night? Cerberus Cybersecurity reviews endpoint protection as part of our risk and compliance assessments and helps you answer insurance applications with evidence. Contact us to schedule a review.

By J. Mesa

Data Privacy Week arrives at the end of January. Mark it with one action that takes fifteen minutes and costs nothing: freeze your credit. After years of large breaches, assume your Social Security number and date of birth are already for sale. A freeze makes that stolen information far less useful to a thief.

What is a credit freeze?

A credit freeze, also called a security freeze, blocks lenders from viewing your credit report. Lenders check that report before they approve a new account. With the report locked, a criminal who applies for a loan or a credit card in your name gets declined.

Is a credit freeze free?

Yes. Federal law has required the three national credit bureaus to place and lift freezes for free since September 2018. Do not pay anyone for one.

Does a credit freeze hurt my credit score?

No. A freeze has no effect on your score. You can keep using your existing cards and loans as usual. Your current lenders can still see your report, and you can still pull your own.

How do I freeze my credit?

You must contact each of the three bureaus separately. A freeze at one does not carry over to the others.

1. Equifax. Go to equifax.com and look for “Security Freeze,” or call 1-800-685-1111.
2. Experian. Go to experian.com/freeze, or call 1-888-397-3742.
3. TransUnion. Go to transunion.com/credit-freeze, or call 1-888-909-8872.

At each one:

• Create an account with your name, address, date of birth, and Social Security number.
• Answer the identity questions.
• Choose the free freeze. The sites promote paid “lock” and monitoring products along the way. You can skip them.
• Save the login or the PIN in your password manager. You will need it to lift the freeze.

By law, a freeze requested online or by phone takes effect within one business day.

Type the bureau addresses into your browser yourself. Search results and emails sometimes lead to look-alike sites built to steal the same details you are trying to protect.

Should I freeze my credit at other agencies?

For fuller coverage, add these:

• Innovis, a fourth credit bureau, at innovis.com.
• ChexSystems, which banks check before opening a checking or savings account, at chexsystems.com.
• NCTUE, which phone, cable, and utility companies use, at nctue.com.

How do I lift a credit freeze?

When you apply for a mortgage, a car loan, a new credit card, or an apartment, lift the freeze first. Sign in to the bureau’s site and choose a temporary lift, sometimes called a thaw, for a set number of days. Online and phone requests take effect within one hour.

Ask the lender or landlord which bureau they use, and lift only that one. The freeze returns on its own when the period ends.

What is the difference between a freeze, a lock, and a fraud alert?

• Credit freeze. Free, set by federal law, and blocks new creditors until you lift it.
• Credit lock. A product the bureaus sell or bundle with their apps. It works much like a freeze with a quicker on-and-off switch, but it is governed by the company’s terms and not by the freeze law, and it may carry a monthly fee.
• Fraud alert. A note on your report that tells lenders to verify your identity before opening an account. It is free, lasts one year, and you only need to request it from one bureau, which notifies the other two. Victims of identity theft can get an extended alert that lasts seven years.

A freeze gives the strongest protection. A fraud alert asks lenders to be careful. A freeze stops them from seeing the report at all.

Who should freeze their credit?

Nearly every adult. If you do not plan to apply for credit in the next few weeks, a freeze costs you nothing and removes a major risk. It matters most if:

• You received a breach notification letter
• You lost your wallet or your Social Security card
• You saw accounts or inquiries you do not recognize
• You are older and rarely apply for new credit

Should I freeze my child’s credit?

Yes. Children make attractive targets, because nobody checks a child’s credit for years. A thief can use a child’s Social Security number until the child turns 18 and applies for a student loan. Parents and guardians can freeze the credit of a child under 16 for free. The process requires mailing copies of documents, such as a birth certificate and your own ID, to each bureau. You can do the same for an adult you hold a power of attorney for.

What does a credit freeze not protect against?

A freeze stops new credit accounts. It does not stop:

• Fraud on the cards and bank accounts you already have
• Tax refund fraud
• Medical identity theft
• Fraudulent unemployment or benefits claims
• Phishing and account takeover

So add these steps:

• Check your credit reports. You can get free reports from all three bureaus at annualcreditreport.com, the only site authorized by federal law.
• Get an IRS Identity Protection PIN. This six-digit number stops someone else from filing a tax return with your Social Security number. Since 2021, any taxpayer who can verify their identity may request one at IRS.gov. See our post on tax scam season.
• Turn on transaction alerts for your bank and card accounts.
• Use unique passwords and multi-factor authentication on financial accounts and email.
• Create your own accounts first. Set up your online accounts at ssa.gov, IRS.gov, and the Postal Service’s Informed Delivery before a criminal claims them in your name.

Do I need to pay for credit monitoring or identity theft protection?

Monitoring tells you after something happens. A freeze prevents the most damaging kind of fraud before it happens, for free. If a breached company offers you free monitoring, accept it. Paying for a service is a personal choice. Some people value the insurance and the recovery help. No service prevents identity theft, whatever the advertisement says.

What should I do if someone already opened an account in my name?

1. Go to IdentityTheft.gov, the FTC’s recovery site. It builds a step-by-step plan and generates an identity theft report.
2. Call the fraud department of the company where the account was opened. Ask them to close it and send written confirmation.
3. Freeze your credit at all three bureaus and place a fraud alert.
4. Dispute the fraudulent entries with each bureau, using the FTC report.
5. File a police report if a creditor asks for one.
6. Keep notes of every call: date, name, and what was said.

Why should a business owner care?

Your personal credit often backs your business. Many owners personally guarantee loans, leases, and business credit cards, so identity theft against you can damage the company’s ability to borrow. Criminals also commit business identity theft, filing false paperwork with a state agency or opening credit lines in a company’s name.

• Freeze your personal credit.
• Check your business credit reports with Dun and Bradstreet, Experian, and Equifax.
• Sign up for email alerts from your Secretary of State, where the state offers them, so you learn when someone changes your business filing.
• Share this guide with employees. Staff who suffer identity theft lose work time and focus, and a company that holds their Social Security numbers has a duty to protect them.

Your next step

Set aside fifteen minutes tonight and freeze your credit at Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Save the three logins in your password manager. If your business holds Social Security numbers for employees or customers, Cerberus Cybersecurity can assess how you protect them. See our services or contact us.

By J. Mesa

Your boss emails you. She is stuck in a meeting and needs five $100 gift cards for client gifts. Buy them now, scratch off the backs, and send photos of the codes. You will be reimbursed today. The email came from a stranger, and the money is gone the moment you hit send. December brings a surge of these requests, because buying gift cards looks normal this month.

What is a gift card scam?

A gift card scam is a fraud in which a criminal persuades you to buy gift cards and hand over the numbers and PINs. With those numbers, the criminal spends or resells the balance within minutes.

One rule covers every version: gift cards are for gifts. Anyone who demands payment by gift card is a scammer. No government agency, utility, court, bank, or tech company accepts them.

Why do scammers want gift cards?

• Speed. The value moves the instant you read out the numbers.
• Anonymity. Nobody needs an ID or a bank account to redeem a card.
• No reversal. A gift card lacks the dispute rights of a credit card.
• Availability. Every grocery store and pharmacy sells them.

Criminals turn the balances into cash by buying electronics to resell or by selling the codes at a discount on online marketplaces.

What are the common gift card scams?

• The fake boss. An email or text that appears to come from an owner, a manager, a pastor, or a principal asks an employee to buy cards for clients or staff and keep it quiet.
• Government impersonators. A caller claims to be from the IRS, Social Security, or a court and threatens arrest unless you pay a fine with gift cards.
• Tech support. A pop-up or a caller says your computer is infected and takes payment for the “repair” in gift cards.
• Utility shutoff. A caller says your power goes off in an hour unless you pay now.
• Family emergency. A caller posing as a grandchild or a lawyer needs bail money.
• Romance. An online sweetheart you have never met needs help with an emergency.
• Prizes and sweepstakes. You won, and you owe “taxes” or “fees” first.
• Overpayment. A buyer sends a check for too much and asks for the difference back in gift cards. The check bounces later.

How does the fake boss gift card scam work?

This version targets businesses, schools, churches, and nonprofits.

1. The scammer finds the name of the owner or director on your website, and a list of staff.
2. The scammer creates a free email account with the boss’s name as the display name, or sends a text from an unknown number that opens with “Hi, this is [boss’s name].”
3. The first message is short: “Are you at your desk? I need a quick favor.”
4. Once the employee answers, the request arrives: buy gift cards, keep it confidential, send the codes.
5. The scammer asks for more cards until the employee stops.

It works because employees want to help the boss and because the boss is “in a meeting” and can’t take a call. New employees get targeted most, since scammers watch LinkedIn for job announcements.

What are the warning signs?

• Any request to pay with a gift card
• Urgency, with a deadline measured in minutes or hours
• A request for secrecy, or an instruction to lie to the cashier about why you are buying
• An order to stay on the phone while you shop
• A request to buy cards at several different stores
• A request to photograph or read out the numbers on the back
• An email from the boss that comes from a personal address, or a text from an unknown number

How do I protect my business?

• Write the rule down. The company never buys gift cards on the strength of an email or a text. Purchases follow the normal approval process.
• Verify by voice. Any unusual request for money or cards gets a phone call to a known number, or a walk down the hall.
• Tell every new hire in the first week. Scammers reach new staff within days of a public announcement.
• Tag external email. A banner that marks outside messages exposes a fake boss.
• Have the owner say it out loud: “I will never ask you to buy gift cards. If you get that message, it is not me.”
• Limit what the website gives away. Review whether you need a full staff directory with titles and direct email addresses.
• Cover it in training. See our post on how to spot a phishing email and our cybersecurity training.

How do I protect my family?

Talk about it at the holiday table. Older relatives lose the most, and many have never heard that gift card payment is the mark of a scam. Agree on a simple plan: if a caller demands money, hang up and call a family member before doing anything. Tell the grandparents that a real grandchild in trouble will still be in trouble ten minutes from now, after a callback.

What should I do if I gave a scammer gift card numbers?

Move fast. Minutes matter.

1. Call the gift card company right away and say the card was used in a scam. Ask whether any balance remains and whether they can freeze it. The phone number is on the back of the card or on the company’s website. Apple, Google Play, Amazon, Target, Walmart, and the major prepaid card brands all run fraud lines.
2. Keep the card and the receipt. You need both for the report.
3. Tell the store where you bought the cards.
4. Report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to the FBI at ic3.gov.
5. Tell your employer if the request posed as your boss. Others in the company may be getting the same message.
6. Stop responding to the scammer. Expect follow-up contacts that promise to recover your money for a fee. Those are scams too.

Can I get my money back?

Sometimes, if the scammer has not yet spent the balance when you call. Once the funds are used, recovery is unlikely. That is the reason criminals prefer gift cards, and the reason to call the card company before you do anything else.

What is gift card tampering?

A different crime hits honest shoppers. Thieves take cards from store racks, record the numbers and PINs, reseal the packaging, and return the cards to the shelf. When a shopper loads money onto the card, the thief drains it.

Protect yourself when you buy gift cards as gifts:

• Inspect the packaging. Skip any card with a torn, wrinkled, or resealed wrapper, or a scratched PIN cover.
• Pick cards from behind the counter or from the middle of the rack.
• Buy from the retailer’s own website when you can.
• Keep the receipt and give it with the card.
• Tell the recipient to use the card soon.

What should retail staff watch for?

If your business sells gift cards, your cashiers are the last line of defense. Train them to notice a customer who is on the phone while buying, seems frightened or rushed, buys large amounts, or is elderly and buying cards for a brand they would not normally use. A calm question can stop the loss: “Did someone ask you to buy these to make a payment?” Post a warning sign at the rack. Many retailers now do.

Are other payment methods a warning sign too?

Yes. Scammers also demand wire transfers, cryptocurrency, payment apps such as Zelle and Cash App, and cash sent by mail or handed to a courier. Each shares the traits that make gift cards attractive: fast, hard to trace, and hard to reverse. Treat a demand for any of them, from someone you did not contact first, as a scam.

Your next step

Send a two-line message to your staff today: “I will never ask you to buy gift cards by email or text. If you receive that request, call me.” Then make the same promise to your family. For help writing payment verification rules and training your team, see our services or contact Cerberus Cybersecurity.

By J. Mesa

VPN advertisements promise to make you anonymous, block hackers, and protect your identity. A VPN does none of those things on its own. It does one useful job well, and knowing what that job is tells you whether you need to pay for one.

What is a VPN?

A VPN, or virtual private network, is a service that creates an encrypted connection between your device and a server run by the VPN provider. Your internet traffic travels through that encrypted tunnel to the provider’s server and goes out to the internet from there.

How does a VPN work?

Without a VPN, your traffic passes through the local network and your internet provider on its way to a website. Each of them can see which sites you connect to. The website sees your IP address, which reveals your provider and your rough location.

With a VPN turned on:

1. Your device encrypts the traffic before it leaves.
2. The local network and your internet provider see only scrambled data going to the VPN server.
3. The VPN server decrypts the traffic and sends it to the website.
4. The website sees the VPN server’s IP address in place of yours.

You have moved your trust. Your internet provider can no longer see your browsing, and the VPN company now can.

What does a VPN protect you from?

• Snooping on untrusted networks. On hotel, airport, and coffee shop Wi-Fi, a VPN stops the network operator and other users from watching where your traffic goes.
• Tracking by your internet provider. Your provider can’t log the sites you visit.
• Exposure of your IP address. Websites and services see the VPN’s address.
• Location limits. A VPN can make you appear to be in another region.

What does a VPN not protect you from?

This list matters more than the first one.

• Phishing. A VPN delivers a fake sign-in page to you through an encrypted tunnel. You can still type your password into it. See our guide to spotting a phishing email.
• Malware. A VPN does not scan what you download.
• Weak or reused passwords. An attacker with your password signs in from anywhere.
• Tracking by the sites you use. Google, Facebook, and advertisers identify you by your login, your cookies, and your browser, with or without a VPN.
• Data breaches. A VPN has no effect on how a company stores your information.
• Anonymity. The VPN provider knows who you are and can see your traffic. Websites you sign in to know who you are.

Do I need a VPN at home?

For security, most people do not. Nearly every website and app now encrypts its own traffic with HTTPS, the padlock in your browser. Your home network is one you control. A VPN at home adds privacy from your internet provider and little else.

Spend the effort where it counts first: a strong, unique password for each account, multi-factor authentication, and software updates.

Do I need a VPN on public Wi-Fi?

It helps, and the risk is smaller than the ads suggest. Because of HTTPS, a snoop on the coffee shop network can’t read your banking session or your email. The snoop can see which sites you visit, and a fake hotspot can steer you toward a fraudulent page.

A VPN closes those gaps. So does using your phone’s hotspot or cellular data. If you travel often and work from shared networks, a VPN is a reasonable purchase. Our post on staying safe on the go covers the rest.

What is a business VPN?

A business VPN serves a different purpose from the consumer products in the ads. It connects a remote employee’s computer to the company’s private network, so the employee can reach file servers, accounting systems, and other internal resources from home or the road. Your firewall or a dedicated service provides it, and your IT team controls who may connect.

A consumer VPN hides your browsing from the local network. A business VPN extends your office network to an authorized person. Buying consumer subscriptions for your staff does not give them secure access to the office.

How do I secure a business VPN?

A VPN is a door into your network, and attackers know it. VPN devices sit among the most common entry points for ransomware.

• Require multi-factor authentication for every VPN login. A VPN protected by a password alone is one stolen password away from a break-in.
• Patch the VPN device quickly. Vendors release fixes for serious flaws several times a year, and criminals scan the internet for unpatched devices within days.
• Give each person an account. No shared logins. Disable the account the day someone leaves.
• Limit what the VPN reaches. A remote bookkeeper needs the accounting system and nothing else.
• Allow company-managed devices only, where you can. A family computer full of malware should not join the office network.
• Review the logs for logins at odd hours and from unexpected countries.
• Replace hardware the vendor no longer supports.

Do small businesses still need a VPN?

It depends on where your systems live. If your email, files, and accounting all run in cloud services such as Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and QuickBooks Online, your staff reach them directly over HTTPS, and a VPN adds little. Protect those logins with multi-factor authentication.

If you keep a server, a records system, or network storage in the office, remote staff need a secure way in. A VPN is the traditional answer. Never expose Remote Desktop straight to the internet as a shortcut.

Newer “zero trust” access tools take a different approach. They verify the person and the device, then grant access to one application at a time and not to the whole network. Ask your IT provider whether one fits your size and budget.

How do I choose a consumer VPN?

If you decide to buy one, check these points.

• Independent audits. Look for a published audit of the provider’s no-logs claim by a named outside firm.
• Clear ownership. You should be able to learn who runs the company and where it operates.
• Modern protocols, such as WireGuard or OpenVPN.
• A kill switch that blocks traffic if the VPN connection drops.
• A paid plan from a known provider. Running servers costs money. A free VPN often pays its bills by collecting and selling your browsing data, which defeats the purpose.
• No outsized promises. Be wary of any product that claims to make you anonymous or “unhackable.”

Are free VPNs safe?

Many are not. Studies of free VPN apps have found data collection, advertising trackers, and in some cases malware. A few reputable providers offer limited free tiers supported by their paid customers. Outside of those, avoid free VPN apps, above all on a device that holds work email.

Does a VPN slow down my internet?

Somewhat. Your traffic takes a longer route and gets encrypted along the way. With a good provider and a nearby server, most people notice little difference for browsing and video calls.

Is using a VPN legal?

In the United States, yes. A handful of countries restrict or ban them, so check before you travel. A VPN does not make an illegal act legal, and it may violate the terms of a streaming service.

Your next step

List the systems your staff reach from outside the office and how they connect to each one. For every remote connection that relies on a password alone, add multi-factor authentication this month. Cerberus Cybersecurity reviews remote access as part of our risk and compliance assessments and writes remote work policies your team can follow. Contact us to get started.

By J. Mesa

An email lands in your inbox at 4:45 on a Friday. Your mailbox is full, it says, and you will stop receiving messages unless you sign in now. You click, type your password, and go home. By Monday, a stranger has read three months of your email and sent an invoice to your largest customer. Most break-ins at small businesses begin this way, with one message and one tired person.

What is phishing?

Phishing is a fraudulent message that poses as a trusted sender to trick you into giving up a password, sending money, or opening a malicious file. Email carries most of it. Text messages, phone calls, and social media carry the rest.

How does a phishing attack work?

The attacker wants one of three results.

• Your credentials. The message links to a fake sign-in page for Microsoft 365, Google, your bank, or a shipping company. Whatever you type goes to the attacker.
• Your money. The message poses as a vendor, a boss, or a customer and asks for a payment, a gift card, or a change of bank details.
• Your computer. The message carries an attachment or a link that installs malware, including the kind that leads to ransomware.

What are the warning signs of a phishing email?

1. The sender address does not match the name. The display name says “Microsoft Support,” and the address behind it ends in a domain you have never seen. Click or tap the name to reveal the full address.
2. The domain is close but wrong. Look for swapped or added characters: “rn” in place of “m,” a zero in place of the letter o, or an extra word such as “-secure” or “-billing.”
3. The message creates urgency. Your account closes today. The invoice is overdue. The boss needs it in ten minutes. Pressure exists to stop you from thinking.
4. The request is unusual. A vendor changes its bank account by email. The owner asks for gift cards. Payroll gets a request to move a direct deposit.
5. The link goes somewhere else. Hover over the link on a computer, or press and hold on a phone, and read the real address. A Microsoft sign-in page does not live on a random website.
6. The attachment was not expected. Treat surprise invoices, voicemails, scans, and shipping documents as suspect, above all files that ask you to “enable content” or sign in to view them.
7. The greeting is generic. “Dear customer” from a bank that knows your name.
8. The tone is off. A colleague who writes in short bursts sends three formal paragraphs. Trust that instinct.
9. The message asks for secrets. No legitimate company asks for your password, your verification code, or your full card number by email.

Spelling mistakes used to be a reliable sign. They are less reliable now, because attackers use better tools and copy real company emails word for word. A clean, well-written message can still be a fake.

What are the common types of phishing?

• Bulk phishing. One message to millions of people, posing as a bank, a streaming service, or a delivery company.
• Spear phishing. A message written for one person, using details from LinkedIn, your website, or an earlier breach.
• Whaling. Spear phishing aimed at owners and executives.
• Business email compromise. A message that poses as a boss or a vendor to redirect a payment. It often contains no link and no attachment, which lets it pass through filters.
• Smishing and vishing. The same tricks by text message and by phone.
• Clone phishing. A copy of a real email you received before, with the link or attachment swapped.

Our post on how hackers get in covers the psychology behind these attacks.

How do I check a link safely?

• Hover first, and read the address from right to left. The part just before “.com” or “.org” is the real owner. In “microsoft.com.account-verify.net,” the owner is account-verify.net.
• Do not trust the padlock. Fake sites have them too.
• When in doubt, skip the link. Open your browser and type the company’s address yourself, or use the bookmark you already have.
• Be careful with shortened links and QR codes, which hide the destination.

What should I do when I get a suspicious email?

1. Do not click, reply, or open the attachment.
2. Report it. Use the “Report phishing” button in Outlook or Gmail, and forward it to whoever handles your IT.
3. Verify through another channel. Call the sender at a number you already have. Do not use the phone number in the message.
4. Delete it.

If the message poses as a coworker or a vendor you know, tell that person. Their account may have been hacked, and they may not know yet.

What should I do if I clicked a phishing link?

Speed matters more than embarrassment. Tell your IT contact right away.

• You clicked but entered nothing. Close the page. Run a scan with your security software. Watch the account for a few days.
• You entered a password. Change it at once from a different device. Change it on every other account where you used the same one. Turn on multi-factor authentication. Ask IT to sign out all active sessions and check the mailbox for forwarding rules the attacker may have added.
• You opened an attachment or enabled content. Disconnect the computer from the network and call IT. Do not keep working on it.
• You sent money or bank details. Call your bank immediately and ask for a recall, then report the fraud to the FBI at ic3.gov.

How do I protect my business from phishing?

• Turn on multi-factor authentication for email first, then for banking, payroll, and remote access. A stolen password alone then gets the attacker nowhere.
• Use the email filtering you already pay for. Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace include phishing and attachment protections that many businesses never switch on.
• Tag outside email. A banner that marks messages from outside the company exposes a fake “boss” at a glance.
• Set a payment verification rule. No change to bank details and no new payee without a phone call to a known number and a second approver.
• Use a password manager. It fills passwords only on the real site, so a look-alike page gets nothing.
• Limit what staff post. Job titles, vendor names, and travel plans on public pages help an attacker write a convincing message.
• Make reporting easy and safe. One button or one address. Thank the people who report, including the ones who clicked first.

Does phishing training work?

Yes, when you repeat it. A one-hour lecture once a year fades within weeks. Short sessions through the year, paired with simulated phishing emails, build the habit of pausing before a click. Track two numbers: how many people click, and how many people report. The second number matters more, because one fast report lets you warn everyone else.

Treat a failed test as a coaching moment. Staff who fear punishment hide their mistakes, and a hidden click does the most damage. Our cybersecurity training covers phishing for every role, from the front desk to the owner.

Can email filters stop all phishing?

No. Filters catch most bulk phishing. Targeted messages, messages sent from a real hacked account, and messages with no link or attachment still arrive. Your people are the last check, so give them the knowledge and the permission to slow down.

Your next step

Forward this list of nine signs to your staff, and ask each person to find the “Report phishing” button in their mail program today. To build a training program and a payment verification policy that fit your business, see our services or contact Cerberus Cybersecurity.