In recent years, quite a few high-profile political scandals have started off with IT security issues related specifically related to compromised email systems. Some of the most widely remembered attacks in this regard involved key members of the Democratic National Committee; an email attack believed to have played a significant part in the outcome of the 2016 presidential elections.
Common Vulnerabilities Exploited By Hackers
Email accounts continue to be a favorite attack vector for politically motivated hackers, and a recent incident suggests that individuals who use Gmail are still vulnerable to phishing tactics. Elliott Broidy, a powerful businessman, known as a major donor and strategist for the Republican Party, is suing the government of Qatar for allegedly conspiring to breach his business network by means of an attack prompted by a fake security alert received by his wife.
Broidy’s wife, a Southern California attorney, followed the instructions on the security alert, which featured the familiar format and branding of a Gmail or G Suite notice prompting her to change her password. Although this is the same modus operandi used by the Kremlin-linked hackers who breached the Democratic National Committee email accounts, there is an interesting twist in this case. Broidy’s wife was not an intended target; the hackers wanted to search her Google Docs folders for information related to her husband’s investment management firm, which is closely tied to the Trump administration.
Prevent Hesperia Cyber Attacks With Secure Network Hosting
Fake Google security alerts have been problematic for politicians, strategists and high-level executives who fall for the familiar branding of these email messages. For this reason, Hesperia business owners should consider the security measures offered by SonicExchange email hosting.
The problem with Gmail and G Suite accounts is that their default security measures are not adequate for businesses that need to protect sensitive digital information. With a Hesperia SonicExchange email hosting solution, strong security measures can be implemented during the setup process. In terms of security alerts, they can be formatted to include certain visual clues to let users know that they are authentic, thereby making it difficult for hackers to copy them.