Security Gaps You Didn't Know You Had
As cybersecurity threats continue to evolve, some of the biggest risks to your organisation might not be obvious. In this month’s IT Bulletin, we shine a light on three critical security concerns that are often underestimated or overlooked entirely. These issues can silently compromise systems, leak data, or be exploited without detection.
The Hidden Risks of AI Chatbot Integrations
AI tools like ChatGPT, Copilot, and various AI-enabled chatbots have become increasingly popular in business workflows. While they offer impressive efficiency gains, these tools can also introduce hidden security risks.
The Risk: Many AI chatbots operate by sending your inputs to third-party servers for processing. If employees use them to draft client communications, generate reports, or debug code, they could be unintentionally sharing confidential or proprietary data.
What to Watch Out For:
Use of browser-based extensions or unofficial integrations.
Over-reliance on AI to draft or process sensitive material.
Best Practices:
Implement clear AI usage policies.
Restrict access to AI tools via company-managed devices.
Educate staff on what is and isn't appropriate to input into generative AI platforms.
The Dangers of Default Configurations
When setting up new devices, apps, or systems, default settings are often left unchanged for the sake of speed and convenience. Unfortunately, those factory defaults are exactly what attackers target first.
Why It Matters: Many systems come with default admin usernames and passwords, open ports, or insecure settings that are well known across the internet. Attackers scan for these weak points constantly.
Common Risks Include:
Routers or firewalls with unchanged login credentials.
Cloud applications with open access or no restrictions.
Operating systems not hardened post-installation.
What You Can Do:
Change default usernames and passwords immediately.
Perform a configuration review when deploying any new tech.
Use benchmarks like CIS or NCSC for hardening guidelines.
MFA Fatigue Attacks – When Security Becomes the Weakness
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is widely considered a best practice – but attackers are getting smarter. One of the newer threats, known as MFA fatigue or MFA bombing, targets users by repeatedly triggering MFA prompts to wear them down until they accidentally approve one.
How It Works: Attackers who obtain login credentials spam the user with MFA requests at odd hours or in rapid succession. Confused or annoyed, users may eventually hit "Approve" just to stop the notifications.
Signs of an MFA Fatigue Attack:
Multiple login attempts from the same location/device.
Users reporting random MFA prompts they didn’t initiate.
Approval of requests without user confirmation.
How to Protect Your Business:
Use number-matching MFA or device-based verification instead of push-only notifications.
Monitor for unusual authentication patterns.
Train staff to report unsolicited MFA prompts immediately.
Need Advice or Help Reviewing Your Setup?
Our IT security specialists can help assess your risks, review current configurations, and advise on safe AI tool usage.
Contact us at info@symetri.co.uk to arrange a chat with our team.
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