Business email compromise is when a criminal gets into, or imitates, a mailbox to redirect payments. For Seattle firms that send invoices, pay vendors or move client funds by wire, one convincing email can cost more than a year of IT.
Who gets targeted in Seattle
Aerospace suppliers in the Kent Valley and Everett area need CMMC preparation for defense work. Architecture and engineering firms in Pioneer Square and Bellevue move large files between offices and clients. Maritime, warehousing and logistics companies around the port need reliable networks.
Firms like these send and receive payments by email every week, which is exactly what attackers look for.
How mailbox takeovers start
A stolen password, a fake login page or a look-alike domain lets an attacker read mail, set hidden forwarding rules and send payment requests that look real.
Locking down Microsoft 365
Multi-factor authentication, conditional access, safe sign-in settings and mail flow rules close the common ways in. Filtering catches look-alike domains and malicious links before they reach the inbox.
Washington data rules to know
Washington’s breach notification law, RCW 19.255.010, requires notice to affected residents within 30 days of discovering a breach, and to the Attorney General when more than 500 Washingtonians are affected. The My Health My Data Act adds rules for consumer health data.
A hacked mailbox often holds customer records, so an email takeover can become a reportable breach.
Watching for takeover signs
We monitor for suspicious sign-ins, new forwarding rules, account changes and unusual sending patterns. During office hours an engineer acts on alerts by locking the account, resetting credentials and checking what was sent.
Office hours in Seattle
Office hours for Seattle clients are Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Pacific. Email security services is part of full managed IT for Seattle clients, delivered remote-first with on-site help coordinated when it is needed.
Read more about email security services or see all IT services in Seattle.