Mackey Information Technology

03/15/2026

Don’t use voice verification such as at your bank. All a bad actor needs is to get in your account and mimic your voice and they are in.

Learn how AI voice scammers impersonate family members and how to protect your loved ones from urgent money scams.

03/14/2026

Bad actors often try to trick users with phishing emails that look legitimate. At first glance, an email may appear to come from Microsoft with an address like noreply @ rnicrosoft . com, but a closer look at the domain reveals the first character is not “m” but “r n “ to appear as the letter m. Attackers frequently use fake or look-alike domains to impersonate trusted organizations and steal credentials through password reset requests or malicious links. Always verify the sender’s domain before clicking any link. A small detail can prevent a big security.

03/06/2026

🚨 $25.5 MILLION. One video call. Completely fake.

Let that sink in.

In 2024, scammers used a deepfake video conference to trick an employee at a multinational company into transferring $25.5 million.

Yes — the entire meeting was fake.

The employee joined what appeared to be a legitimate video call with the company’s CFO and other colleagues. Faces looked real. Voices sounded real. The instructions were clear: execute a series of financial transfers.

He completed 15 transactions to five bank accounts.

A week later, the company discovered the truth.

Every single person on that call — except the victim — was an AI-generated deepfake.

Scammers used publicly available video footage to recreate the CFO and team members, including their voices. The employee was even asked to introduce himself during the call. But he never meaningfully interacted with anyone else.
The meeting ended abruptly after the transfers were made.

Hong Kong police later revealed the attackers attempted similar scams against other employees — fortunately, those attempts failed.

The Bigger Issue:

This happened two years ago.

Imagine how much better the technology is today.

Deepfake scams are no longer theoretical. They are operational. They are convincing. And they are targeting finance departments, executives, and anyone with authority over money or sensitive access.

The Real Lesson:

✔️ Always verify — especially when money is involved
✔️ Be cautious of “urgent” requests from senior leadership
✔️ Question anything that feels unusual, even if it looks legitimate
✔️ Implement multi-step verification for financial transactions
✔️ Train your staff on emerging AI-driven threats

Trust — but verify. Even if the request appears to come from someone you know. Because in today’s world, it might not be them at all.

If your organization hasn’t discussed deepfake fraud prevention yet, now is the time. Ask your IT or MSP on how they can help educate your employees to identify potential threats.

07/17/2025

Attention Houston area businesses! Are you struggling with your IT support?

We specialize in helping companies keep their computers and systems running efficiently, so you can focus on what's most important to your business, your bottom line. Do you own a manufacturing business? How about a law practice? A sports venue? You name it, we can support it.

07/15/2025

Heads up for Gulf Coast businesses and partners from Florida all the way to Texas!

Forecasters are tracking a low-pressure system (Invest 93L) currently off Florida’s east coast, with a 30–40% chance of developing into a tropical depression/storm in the Gulf by mid to late week.

📅 Timeline:

Wed–Thu: System crosses Florida, enters Gulf — warm waters and lighter wind shear may support development.

Friday onward: Increased tropical moisture, likely bringing heavy rainfall, scattered storms, and localized flooding in parts of Southeast Texas (Houston, Beaumont, Port Arthur) through the weekend.

Potential Business Impacts:

· Operational delays due to flash flooding or downed branches/power outages.

· Supply chain interruptions, especially for deliveries via coastal roads.

· Increased risk of property or equipment damage (e.g. back‑up generators, servers, inventory in flood-prone spaces).

Recommended Action Steps:

🔒 Secure outdoor equipment and warehouse inventories.

📝 Review business continuity and backup strategies — ensure key data and power redundancies are in place.

📲 Communicate with staff and clients about potential weather-related delays proactively.

🧰 Prepare for minor office closures or remote work options, if needed.

Stay updated this week. Even if it doesn’t become a named storm, heavy tropical downpours could still disrupt operations. Let’s keep our teams and assets protected!

07/08/2025

One year ago, 7/8/2024, Houston, Texas, Hurricane Beryl made landfall southwest of the city. It was a Category 1, which most people along the gulf coast would consider a minor hurricane, they were caught off guard by Beryl. Over 2.7 million homes and businesses were left without power, some for days and caused signifigant damage. Is your business protected against natural disasters with a continuity plan? It should be. One of our clients offices were actually located just beneath the roof pictured here and they were able to continue operating.

Always be prepared for whatever disaster may strike.

07/08/2025

Hackers don’t always break in, sometimes, they trick their way in. If your team doesn’t know what to watch out for, your business could be just one click away from a serious data breach.

Here are the most common social engineering scams used by cybercriminals, all designed to exploit human behavior:

📩 Phishing – Fake emails that look real, luring you to click links or give up your login info.
📱 Smishing – Text messages pretending to be from your bank, a delivery service, or IT support.
📞 Vishing – Phone calls from scammers posing as company executives or tech support.
😱 Scareware – Pop-ups that scare users with fake virus alerts and push them to download harmful software.
🎭 Deepfakes – AI-generated videos or audio of someone you trust, used to mislead or manipulate you.

But that’s just the beginning... Other social engineering tactics include:

🧠 Pretexting - when someone pretends to be a coworker, vendor, or authority figure to gain trust
📎 Baiting - leaving infected USB drives in public places to tempt curious employees
👨‍💻 Quid pro quo - offering fake helpdesk services in exchange for access
🔍 Shoulder surfing - stealing passwords or sensitive info by watching someone work
🚶 Tailgating - physically following someone into restricted areas without authorization

Educating your team is the first step toward protecting your business. Want to train your staff and secure your network?
Visit our website or send us a message today.

Let’s keep your business safe from the real threats that firewalls and anti-virus alone can’t stop.

07/08/2025

🚨 RDP: A Backdoor into Your Business?

Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is convenient - but it’s also one of the most exploited attack vectors by cybercriminals.

Insecure RDP access has been tied to:
• Ransomware deployments
• Brute force attacks
• Data breaches
• Lateral movement across networks

🔒 If your company still exposes RDP directly to the internet, you’re inviting trouble.

Here are some mitigation strategies for your organization:

✅ Use a secure VPN or remote access gateway
✅ Enable multi-factor authentication
✅ Restrict access by IP and user
✅ Monitor and log all remote connections
✅ Disable RDP if it's not absolutely necessary

NOTE: This post is meant to invoke thoughts regarding the cyber security posture within your organization. While all comments are welcome, please keep your identity and the organization you work for in mind, especially if your organization uses RDP for remote access. There are eyes everywhere, and social media platforms are ripe with information to be mined for bad intentions.

07/07/2025

Small Business Owners — Are You Really Getting What You’re Paying for From Your IT Provider?

Here are 5 critical questions you should be asking your IT company or MSP right now:

1. How fast do you respond when something breaks—and can I see the data? (Do they track SLAs and report response times back to you?)

2. When was the last time we tested our backup and disaster recovery plan? (If the answer is "never" or "I think it works," that's a red flag.)

3. How are you protecting us against modern cyber threats like phishing, ransomware, or insider attacks? (Security isn’t just a firewall—it’s layered, proactive defense.)

4. What visibility do I have into our IT health—systems, updates, vulnerabilities, etc.? (Do you have a dashboard or reports that actually make sense?)

5. Are you helping us leverage technology to grow—or just fixing things when they break? (If they’re not adding value beyond maintenance, you might be outgrowing them.)

These questions aren’t just for your tech team—they’re for your peace of mind as a business owner.

👉 What’s one question you’ve asked your IT provider that made them pause? Let’s hear it in the comments. 👇

07/03/2025

How Secure Is Your Password Game?

At Mackey Information Technology, we help Houston-area businesses stay protected from account compromise, ransomware, and phishing attacks.

Need a security checkup? Reach out today!