The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) has issued an alert for the construction industry after observing a growing trend of builders and construction companies being targeted by cybercriminals to conduct Business Email Compromise (BEC) scams.
The ACSC noted that the construction industry had been specifically targeted over the last six months by cybercriminals using a type of attack known as Business Email Compromise (BEC). In a BEC attack cybercriminals typically gain access to the email of a legitimate business then ask the customers of that business to make all future payments to a different bank account, which is owned by the cybercriminal.
Strategies to protect yourself against a BEC attack include:
- Securing your email by using strong passwords and multifactor authentication.
- Creating processes to verify online payments. This can include calling new vendors to confirm bank account details before making payments and notifying clients that you will personally call them if you ever change bank account details.
- Conducting cybersecurity awareness training for all staff to help them identify suspicious emails and cyber attacks.
Further details of the alert are available on the ACSC website (link opens in new window).
CyberGuru is a proud partner of the Australian Cyber Security Centre. If you would like assistance in securing your business against BEC attacks, please contact us today.