133 Cybersecurity for CPA Firms

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Do you ever wonder if your tech security is tight enough? Not sure if it’s your firewalls are like swiss cheese, or if you’re a sitting duck, just waiting for a stealthy hacker to pick off your IP address and exploit your data?

Having holes in your security is high risk. Get unlucky and your whole system could be down for a day, or cost you tens of thousands of dollars in ransom fees or you can unknowingly be directing payments to fraudulent accounts.

My guest today is Darren Strong, owner of Focus Technology Solutions, which provides IT services dedicated to the accounting industry. 

Today we are digging in to your biggest security risks, especially because with the advent of you and your staff working from home, there is a lot to pay attention to.

What we cover:

Cyber Criminals Are More Sophisticated than You Realize

They mine the data you have sprinkled across social media to create a persona so they know how to look and sound like you. 

If you get hacked, it used to be that you would know right away. Now, if you get hacked, they’ll stick around and study your behavior. They’ll learn how you talk, how you ask for thing, how you instruct staff in your business to perform certain tasks. 

From the outside looking in, all they see is an IP address. 

It’s only once they get inside, they understand how big your business is. 

They will imitate the CEO instructing the CFO to pay a certain bill. 

 

Steps you can take to protect your CPA Firm from Cyber Fraud

There are many steps you can take to reduce your risk of attack:

• Have an internal process to double-check new payments to new accountants.
• If your employees are using their home machines, their are additional risk openings.
• Set up your software systems for “least privileges” - restrict their role

Your biggest threat is your internal employees

• Accidental deletion or exposure of data
• Malicious exposure of data 

Cyber Fraud insurance can protect you.

 

When it comes to Cyber Security for CPA firms, where should I start?

You can list the risk profile of certain types of data you have, and list the cost if that data was lost. When cost and risk are high:

• Reduce number of people who have access to that data
• Two-factor authentication
• Stop anything being printed
• How they can access: corporate or home machine

Start with what software do you have and what data does it have so you can break it into different levels.

 

 

Connect with Darren Strong:

Website: https://www.focustechs.co.uk/

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/darren-strong/

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Want some help in your CPA firm, but not sure where to start?

Schedule a free discovery call with me:

https://calendly.com/geraldinecarter/15min

 

Want to find out what options you might have for working together?

More about 1:1 coaching, roadmaps, and DIY courses here:

https://shethinksbigcoaching.com/coaching-options

JOIN PEAK FREEDOM
For solo and small accounting firm owners who want peace and calm without hiring, scaling, grinding, or reducing profit
https://geraldinecarter.com/peak-freedom