Phone Calls and Social Engineering Risks

From our archive: Originally published August 01, 2025. Product features, pricing and availability mentioned in this article may have changed.

Could One Phone Call Take Down Your Business?

Welcome to the August 2025 edition of the Cyber Shift Technologies Technology Insider!  (Download HERE!)

This month, we’re putting a spotlight on social engineering - a form of cyberattack that’s exploding in popularity. Unlike traditional hacking methods that go after your firewalls or software, these attacks go after something far more vulnerable: your people.

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🎯 What Is Social Engineering?

Social engineering is a manipulative tactic where cybercriminals pretend to be someone trustworthy - like a co-worker, vendor, or executive - just to gain access to your systems or sensitive data. And often, all it takes is a single phone call or email to breach your business.

Who do they target the most?
Your help desk or frontline staff - people trained to be helpful and responsive. A scammer might call claiming they’re locked out of an account and need a password reset… urgently. If your team isn’t trained to spot these tactics, that one small favor could open the door to ransomware, data theft, or even total system compromise.

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🔐 Biometric Logins: Convenient but Risky

More businesses are using fingerprint and facial recognition logins. They’re fast and feel secure - but if your biometric data gets compromised, it’s not replaceable. You can’t just reset your face.

Tips to protect biometric data:

• Store it locally on devices, not in central databases

• Encrypt biometric data to a high standard

• Limit admin access and monitor for unusual activity

• Vet third-party vendors for strong privacy practices

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⚠️ Not All Password Managers Are Safe

Cybercriminals are creating fake versions of legitimate password manager websites. These malicious downloads appear in ads, look convincing, and even function normally - while secretly stealing your data.

Best practice:
Only download software from official websites or trusted app stores. Always double-check the URL.

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🌐 Tech Updates Worth Knowing

• 📄 Translate entire PDFs in Edge: A new Microsoft Edge feature allows you to instantly translate full documents into 70+ languages. Great for contracts and manuals.

• 📲 Pick up where you left off across devices: Windows 11 is adding a feature similar to Apple’s Handoff - switch from your phone to your PC mid-task, seamlessly.

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🧠 Quick Tech Quiz

1. What was the most downloaded app of 2024?

2. What does a blue wavy line in MS Word mean?

3. What does URL stand for?

4. Where is Microsoft HQ located?

5. What was the original name for Windows 1.0?

(Answers at the bottom of the post)

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💼 Gadget of the Month

Ergotron LX Premium Monitor Arm
Make your workstation more ergonomic with flexible screen positioning and rock-solid stability. Available on Amazon for $172.95.

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☎️ Need Help Training Your Team?

Social engineering attacks are designed to catch people off guard. Let us help you build strong safeguards - technical and human - that keep your business protected.

📞 330-353-8420 | ✉️ info@cybershift.com
Get a free cybersecurity consultation »

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Quiz Answers:

1. TikTok

2. Formatting error

3. Uniform Resource Locator

4. Redmond, WA

5. Interface Manager