7/23/2019 |
Welcome to our first Leadership Update, a new monthly newsletter designed to support our member leaders.
Every month we’ll send a quick newsletter with a few topics that are top of mind for your business. In this month's edition, learn all about improving your agency's bottom line with RiskMatch, one of the newest Vertafore products. This webinar was recorded at our May Accelerate conference. We think RiskMatch is so special that we are providing this class free of charge to you.
In this issue is also a link to an interview that I had with Cassidy Smirnow, SVP of customer success at Vertafore. I am sharing our enhanced vision and priorities from a board meeting. Please let me know what you think about this newsletter and if there is anything else that would be valuable for you.
Linda Dodson
Executive Director
d: 972.409.6207 | m: 860.372.1134
[email protected]
Linda oversees NetVU's strategic direction, operations and staffing. She has served for 30 years in the insurance industry and is passionate about improving the customer experience and helping the IA channel grow through improving its use of technology. Linda works closely with the NetVU executive board of directors.
Watch "Leveraging RiskMatch Recorded Presentation," one of the most popular education sessions at Accelerate, powered by NetVU, in Cincinnati. Learn how to explore your carrier relationships including share of wallet, premium movement, relationship over time, ranking, and rating with content expert Brent Rineck. Preparing for a carrier meeting has never been easier. Although we usually charge for these information-rich sessions, we're offering this one to you free of charge. Enjoy!
A quick Google search of phishing news brings up no shortage of headlines: Phishing attacks that bypass 2-factor authentication now easier to execute; Phishing Scam Leverages Fake List of Undelivered Email to Trick Users into Clicking; Nearly Half of Phishing Attacks are Polymorphic — just to list a few.
Within the insurance world, a new survey found that 86% of C-level executives and IT decision-makers say potential cyber threats are a top-of-mind concern for them, compared to 78% of all small- to medium-sized-business executives surveyed at the same time.
According to the survey, AppRiver Cyberthreat Index for Business Survey Q2 2019, executives and IT decision-makers in the insurance sector say phishing is their most feared cyberthreat (24%). The report also revealed that 79% of respondents in the insurance sector say they have had a phishing attempt in their office within the past quarter, and 32% report they were personally targeted by a phishing attempt in the same period.
Here are a few things to look for when it comes to deciphering whether that email from FedEx is legitimate or a phishing attempt:
Take a good look at the subject line. Does it seem unusual or out of character when you consider the sender? Were you expecting this type of email from this sender? If no, it is best to err on the side of caution and leave it alone — or better yet, delete altogether.
Most phishing attacks will spoof the name of a legitimate company within the email and web addresses. Take a moment to examine the email address. Does it look right? Is it spelled correctly? Does something appear slightly off?
Most cybercriminals go to painstaking lengths to craft phishing emails to look as authentic as possible. However, even the best-looking emails often contain grammatical errors, odd spacings and misspellings. Emails from reputable sources will not contain these types of errors.
Many phishing scams will start with a very generic greeting such as “Dear Customer” or “Dear Sir/Madam.” When it comes to the message of the email, cybercriminals will try to create a sense of urgency or try to instill panic in the recipient. They may claim an account has been compromised or that you need to immediately verify your personal information to avoid your account being closed. Take this as a huge red flag. Legitimate companies will not ask you to share personal information via email.
Before clicking on that hyperlink in the email, hover over it to see the destination URL. Does it match the rest of the email? Does it look like a legitimate URL? If you can’t safely decipher where that link will take you, it is best to delete.
Aside from employee training, preparation, and awareness, companies should consider adopting a layered security approach. Adding an advanced email security solution to existing security can keep these types of attacks from ever finding their way to your inbox.
The AppRiver Cyberthreat Index for Business in Q2 2019 is scored on a 100-point scale where 100 indicates the maximum level of cyberthreat experienced in the past quarter and zero indicates confidence in cyber readiness. The sector scored a 62.1 on the AppRiver Cyberthreat Index for Business in Q2 2019, higher than the overall national SMB Cyberthreat Index score of 58.1.
Mike Foy, president of Foy Insurance and former NetVU chairman of the board, knows a thing or two about running an agency. In this insightful, short video, Foy offers two easy ways to boost your agency's efficiency and grow your bottom line.