Don’t Let Covid Fatigue Put Your Clients’ Businesses at Risk

Accounting and CPA firms are frequently the first witnesses of COVID fatigue among clients. They are on the front lines and have been very influential in encouraging clients to keep up their guard. CPA and accounting firms have significant credibility as they demonstrate to clients their commitment to maintaining safe work environments and secure systems to protect clients.

Yes, times have changed, but not just for our personal activities. This virus also threatens the very well-being of our businesses. The bottom line is that we can’t let our guard down because the current working conditions are likely to continue for some time and may actually be permanent. And, these financial services firms provide valuable counsel that extends well beyond filing tax returns and offering valuable planning advice.

For example, one lunch at a restaurant with a friend or business associate can result in deadly consequences. Likewise, one click of the mouse can cause financial ruin to a company.

The biggest transition has been working at home. For the most part, this transition has gone smoothly to the point where many corporations look at this as the wave of the future and a pathway to greater profitability since there will be considerable savings on rent.

But the working-at-home arrangement comes with problems since employees are spending more time on the computer. And with this increased screen time comes more opportunities for hackers. These same employees could be getting bored at home and doing their fair share of web surfing. Others could be taking a break and decide to work from a nearby park or a coffee shop to relieve the monotony of staying home.

This is where COVID Fatigue enters the workplace. With this comes enforcing protocols which have been put in place at the outset of the healthcare crisis. They may still be in place, but many organizations have simply become sloppy because they may not have been hacked. It’s only a matter of time.

The following are among the reminders that CPAs and accounting firms are providing to make sure organizations aren’t the victims of mischievous hackers. We work closely with these organizations to ensure their safety and the safety of their clients.

• Update software and security patches on a regular basis.
• Warm employees about the dangers of using thumb drives that may be infected with malware.
• Stress that corporate computers cannot be used on public wifi networks provided by the local coffee shop.
• Prohibit the use of personal computers for work. Likewise, prohibit the use of corporate computers for personal endeavors such as shopping.
• Require frequent password re-sets.
• Run phishing simulations whereby you send your employees actual phishing e-mails and use them as a way to teach them what to look for. Coburn says that when companies do phishing simulations, 50%–80% of employees fail
• Ensure software is updated, from servers to desktops and even your mobile devices and smartphones.
• Invest in modern security solutions like time-of-click e-mail protection, attachment sandboxing, and detonation.
• Upgrade from traditional antivirus software to Endpoint Detection and Response solutions like Sentinel One, Microsoft Defender ATP, or Cylance.
• Provide training that’s tailored to current and modern threats.
• Provide micro-training nuggets throughout the year so the information remains fresh and current.
• Users, check the sender’s e-mail address against the message signatory. Do they match? If not, don’t touch it.

Training sessions should also stress how to recognize phishing efforts by hackers. For example:

• The email is riddled with errors, including poor spelling and grammar.
• The email does not appear to come from a reputable or familiar source.
• The email directs you to an unfamiliar website or asks you to open an attachment that you do not recognize.
• The email asks you for personal information, bank account passwords/user names. Some even ask for Social Security numbers, date of birth, and “alternate payment information.”
• Often contain outlandish promises or demands.
• Attempt to create a sense of fear. “Your account has been compromised! Click here right now to avoid having your access cut off.”
• Use a generic identifier such as “valued customer” or “sir or madam.”
• Send you to the wrong URL. If you hover over a link, rather than clicking on it, you will be able to see where that link leads. If it’s not a legitimate site, the one that you recognize as the one you’ve always done business with in the past, chances are, it’s not a legitimate email.

If you see these, don’t click on them, open attachments, or respond. Run, don’t walk from these threats.

Our biggest threat today in the workplace is apathy, boredom, and a false sense of security. We can avoid problems by staying vigilant and following protocols that are already in place. By doing so, we can avoid suffering from virtual COVID Fatigue. As valued consultants, accounting and CPA firms are providing a valuable service.

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Jess Coburn is president and founder of Boca Raton-based Applied Innovations (www.appliedi.net), a firm that has helped businesses succeed in the cloud since its inception in 1999. Today Applied Innovations is one of Microsoft’s closest partners and a recognized industry leader in delivering high performance, secure cloud solutions.