Guest Blog: What online threats do virtual assistants need to protect themselves from?

 

This month’s guest blog comes from Policybee, our trusted and recommended insurance supplier. Policybee  understand how VAs actually work and the risks we face. Cyber security is one of those topics too many VAs put off until something goes wrong, so I’ve asked them to cut through the jargon and explain what you need to know to protect your business and your clients.

Virtual assistants often work behind the scenes, helping businesses to run smoothly.

Whether you’re managing inboxes, handling customer queries, processing invoices or updating websites, clients trust you with access to their most important data and systems.

Unfortunately, that also makes you an attractive target for cybercriminals. They know how to exploit that access in order to get their greedy mitts on valuable money, information, and systems.

Knowing the latest tactics that cybercriminals deploy is one of the best ways to protect yourself. And keep both your business and your clients’ businesses running like clockwork.

Virtual business, real threat

Cybercrime isn’t something that only affects large organisations. Last year, 42% of micro businesses and 46% of small businesses reported experiencing a cybercrime incident.

But the good news is you don’t have to employ a whole team of cybersecurity experts to protect yourself.

Writing a disaster recovery plan, learning some online security basics, and understanding the biggest online threats facing virtual assistants is a great place to start.

And if the worst does happen, cyber insurance can help you get back on your feet.

Let’s start by looking at the biggest online risk for most VAs…

AI-generated phishing and social engineering

Phishing attacks are the most common online threat facing UK businesses. And, unfortunately, they’re becoming increasingly hard to spot.

Cybercriminals can now use AI to generate highly convincing emails, text messages, and even deepfake voice notes and video messages that appear to come from clients, suppliers, or co-workers.

A phishing attempt could look like:

• An “urgent” request to pay a supplier’s invoice
• An email asking you to update your bank details due to a “failed payment”
• A login request from what appears to be a platform you use for work

Phishing attempts are a form of “social engineering”. Rather than targeting weaknesses in your systems, they exploit natural human behaviours such as trust, curiosity, and urgency.

When your job is to help things run efficiently, it’s easy to see how a convincing social engineering attack could slip through your net.

 

Hacked email accounts

Your inbox is where most conversations happen. It’s also where invoices are sent and confidential business info is shared.

If a cybercriminal hacks into your email account, they may be able to:

• Read sensitive info about your clients’ businesses
• Reset passwords on your other accounts
• Use your personal or business info to steal your identity
• Divert invoices and payments

If you work with several clients, one successful hack can compromise the data of multiple businesses and leave a dent in your reputation.

Which is why protecting yourself from this online threat – by using password managers and setting up two-factor authentication – is one of the most important things you can do as a VA.

Ransomware attacks

Imagine switching on your laptop to find out you can’t open any of your files.

Next, a message pops up demanding you pay cybercriminals in bitcoin in exchange for access.

This is a ransomware attack. And it can be especially damaging if you’re a VA.

Even temporary loss of access means your calendars, client documents, contracts, spreadsheets, and project info are locked down.

Work grinds to a halt. In the meantime, you’re missing deadlines, losing income, and spending valuable time trying to restore your systems and data.

You might as well just cave in and pay the ransom, right?

Unfortunately, that doesn’t guarantee you’ll get your data back. Arguably, it might even encourage further criminal activity.

For a business that thrives on being reliable, organised and responsive, the disruption caused by a ransomware attack can have a big impact. Both in terms of your financial losses and the damage to your reputation.

Stolen logins and third-party breaches

VAs often manage multiple accounts across third-party websites… using anything from project management and accounting software to social media platforms.

But cybercriminals are savvy. They know if they can access one account, they might strike gold by using the same login details elsewhere.

To get hold of these, they may target you directly (for example, through a phishing email). Or indirectly (if one of the websites you use suffers a data breach).

The latter scenario can be tricky to handle as it feels like events are largely outside your control.

Fortunately, cyber insurance can help if you’re affected by a cybercrime incident – including one linked to a third-party breach.

How cyber insurance helps virtual assistants

The truth is that no small business or sole trader, no matter how diligent, is completely immune to cybercrime. And that’s where having cyber insurance helps.

It means if your business suffers a hack or a data breach, you won’t have to face it alone.

It can help to cover your direct costs, such as your system repairs. Plus, you’ll have 24-hr access to a team of experts helping you get back on your feet.

However, while it’s easy to assume cyber insurance automatically covers all cyber events – that’s simply not the case.

For ultimate peace of mind, you should consider adding cybercrime cover to your cyber insurance.

We’ll explain why.

Bolt-on protection from cybercrime

Most cyber-attacks don’t start with hackers breaking through your cyber defence systems.

Instead, cybercriminals will usually try to trick people into handing over sensitive info or transferring money to them.

Social engineering scams and financial fraud are top of most cybercrime lists. Both are extremely good examples of why cybercrime cover isn’t worth skimping on.

Without it, your recovery costs might not be covered if you’re tricked into paying an invoice by someone pretending to be a supplier. Or if you click a link in a dodgy email that inadvertently allows a hacker access to your client’s confidential business info.

Similarly, you may want to consider adding on business interruption cover too. It means that if a cyber incident like a ransomware attack stops you from working, you’ll be compensated for your lost earnings and extra costs (like laptop rental).

Staying on top of evolving threats

The online threats we’ve mentioned are why practising good cybersecurity habits are a must.

But cybercriminals are constantly changing their tactics.

The phishing email that looked dodgy last year might be almost impossible to spot today. AI-generated scams are getting more convincing and new threats emerge all the time.

Really, cyber awareness training should be your first line of defence. Fortunately, many cyber insurance policies come with access to online training to help get you up to speed.

By understanding the risks, following good cybersecurity practices, and choosing your cyber insurance cover carefully, you’ll be doing everything you can to protect both your business and the clients who trust you with theirs.

For more info and help with cyber insurance, head to our virtual assistants’ insurance page. You’ll find our phone number there, along with a 10% discount off VA insurance when you click ‘get your quote’.

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