Author: GTM Velvot

Email Bomb Attacks: How to Stay Protected with Microsoft Defender

As businesses grow increasingly dependent on email, cyber attackers have become more creative and aggressive. One emerging tactic is the email bomb attack, where your inbox is flooded with thousands of messages in a short time, effectively locking you out of important communications and masking other targeted attacks like password resets or fraud.

What Is an Email Bomb?

An email bomb is a type of denial-of-service (DoS) attack on your inbox. Attackers send thousands of messages from legitimate but compromised sources to overwhelm your mailbox. While seemingly random, the real objective is often to distract, disrupt, or conceal more harmful activity such as unauthorized logins, wire fraud, or identity theft.

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 to the Rescue!

Microsoft has introduced powerful mitigation tools within Defender for Office 365 to detect and respond to such attacks. Some of the intelligent features include:

Automated inbox clean-up of bomb messages
Mailflow monitoring to detect abnormal spikes
User protection by pausing delivery when attacks are detected
Threat Explorer & real-time hunting tools to identify compromised accounts or patterns

Why This Matters for Nigerian Businesses

At Velvot, we’ve seen first hand how even reputable companies are caught off guard by these attacks. Whether you’re in finance, oil & gas, education, or security, email remains a mission-critical channel and a major vulnerability.

If your team uses Microsoft 365, Defender for Office 365 offers the kind of proactive protection modern businesses need.

How Velvot Can Help

Velvot Nigeria Ltd is a certified Microsoft partner. We help organizations:

* Deploy Microsoft Defender for Office 365
* Set up automated policies to prevent and respond to email threats
* Train employees on identifying and reporting suspicious email behaviours
* Monitor your systems in real-time with advanced threat protection dashboards

Ready to Secure Your Inboxes?

Let’s run a free security assessment to see if your mail environment is exposed and how we can strengthen it with Defender for Office 365.

Contact Us @gtm@velvot.com or visit www.velvot.com

Based on insights from Microsoft Tech

From Bottlenecks to Breakthroughs: How Process Automation Supercharges Business Efficiency

Every business has them, Good  those slow repetitive tasks that consume hours of valuable time. Manual invoice approvals, back-and-forth HR onboarding paperwork, customer service requests processed across disconnected systems. It’s not just inconvenient it’s costly. But there’s good news: process automation can turn these bottlenecks into breakthroughs.

The Real Cost of Manual Processes

Repetitive tasks may seem trivial on their own, but they compound quickly. In finance departments, for example, manual invoice handling is prone to human error, lost paperwork, and delayed approvals. In HR, onboarding new employees can stretch over days due to redundant data entry. Customer service teams spend time on routine inquiries that could be handled by automated workflows.

This not only wastes time it drains morale and distracts your workforce from high impact activities.

Automation in Action: Key Areas of Transformation

Finance

Automate accounts payable, expense reporting, and reconciliations. With automated workflows, approvals are faster, errors are reduced, and data becomes more transparent.

Human Resources

Streamline hiring, onboarding, and benefits administration with self-service portals and automated document management. HR becomes more efficient and new hires feel welcomed right away.

Customer Service

Empower your support teams with chatbots and ticket routing systems that handle routine inquiries, freeing agents to focus on complex customer needs and relationship-building.

Why Now Is the Time to Automate

• Faster Turnaround: Automated processes work 24/7 with no coffee breaks
• Improved Accuracy: Fewer human errors = higher data integrity
• Scalability: Handle more volume without scaling up headcount
• Happier Teams: Employees can focus on creative, strategic tasks that matter

Ready to Break Through the Bottlenecks?

At Velvot, we specialize in building intelligent automation solutions tailored to your unique workflows—whether it’s in finance, HR, or customer service. Our platforms are scalable, secure, and designed to grow with your business.

Unlock the efficiency your team deserves. Reach out to Velvot today and let’s automate your success.

At Velvot, we specialize in crafting intelligent automation solutions that are tailored to your business. Whether you’re looking to streamline finance, HR, customer service, or operations, our tools help you move from manual madness to measurable momentum.

Ready to reclaim your time and turbocharge your processes? Connect with Velvot today and let’s build smarter together.

Visit www.velvot.com or send a mail to gtm@velvot.com to book a meeting.

 The Threat

In the past few months, Google has warned that state-sponsored hackers, including the Russian-linked UNC6293 and Cozy Bear (APT29), have launched advanced phishing campaigns targeting Gmail users (atomicmail.io, as.com). These attackers are now bypassing traditional defences—even two-factor authentication—by mimicking official Google alerts such as:

• Fake legal subpoenas or “security threats”
• Emails signed with valid DKIM tokens and sent from no-reply@google.com
• Links that redirect to credential-harvesting sites hosted on sites.google.com (atomicmail.io)

These highly convincing tactics make even technical and security-conscious users vulnerable.

 Why This Matters for Businesses

• Credential theft can lead to full account takeover, exposing sensitive business data.
• Supply chain risk: compromised Gmail accounts can be leveraged to hack clients and partners.
• Compliance breaches: stolen data can result in GDPR, NDPR, or other regulatory violations.

 Recommended Defences

1. Adopt passkeys and passwordless login
   • Google is pushing Passkey adoption to replace vulnerable traditional passwords (atomicmail.io, m.economictimes.com).
2. Enforce 2-step verification (2SV) and app password hygiene
   • Remove unused app passwords. Educate staff to disable them when unused.
3. Perform regular security drills
   • Simulated phishing campaigns and header analysis training.
   • Teach employees to check URLs meticulously and avoid hovering over suspicious links.
4. Audit account activity continuously
   • Regularly review Gmail “last account activity” logs and remove unauthorized devices.
5. Use advanced protection for high-value accounts
   • Enroll executives and IT admins in Google’s Advanced Protection Program.

 Tools & Tech You Can Integrate

• SIEM alerts: Automate suspicious login events from Google Workspace.
• Endpoint protection: Install tools that flag redirects from trusted domains like sites.google.com.
• Training modules: Integrate phishing awareness into your LMS or knowledge portal.

 Real-World Case Highlight

Senior fellow Keir Giles of Chatham House fell victim after attackers impersonated U.S. government officials over weeks—demonstrating how even seasoned professionals can be compromised, the CEO of Instagram Adam Mosseri almost feel to the same scheme recently.  (thetimes.co.uk, atomicmail.io, nypost.com).

✨ How Velvot Can Help

We help enterprise clients implement:

• Passwordless and MFA solutions (Passkeys, hardware tokens)
• Regular phishing simulations and employee drills
• Security audits and endpoint monitoring
• Custom training modules, tailored to industry-specific risks and regulatory compliance

This isn’t just another phishing wave—it’s a wake-up call. Businesses must assume trusted channels can be compromised, and implement stronger authentication, continuous defence, and proactive training to secure their people, data, and reputation.

Book a free consultation or email us at gtm@velvot.com to get started.

Don’t wait for a breach — protect your business today.

Protect Your Business from Ransomware: A Comprehensive Guide

Ransomware has become a pervasive threat to businesses of all sizes. This malicious software encrypts a victim’s files, making them inaccessible until a ransom is paid. The consequences of a ransomware attack can be devastating, including financial loss, data breaches, and disruption of operations.

Understanding Ransomware

Before we dive into prevention strategies, let’s understand how ransomware works:

1. Infection: Ransomware often enters a system through phishing emails, malicious downloads, or vulnerabilities in software.
2. Encryption: Once inside, the ransomware scans sensitive files and encrypts them using complex algorithms.
3. Ransom Demand: The attackers then demand a ransom payment, often in cryptocurrency, to decrypt the files.

Prevention Strategies

Here are some essential steps to protect your business from ransomware:

1. Regular Backups: Implement a robust backup strategy to ensure you have copies of your data stored offline or in a secure cloud environment. Regular backups allow you to restore your system and data even if a ransomware attack occurs.
2. Patch Management: Keep your operating systems, applications, and software up to date with the latest security patches. These patches often address vulnerabilities that ransomware can exploit.
3. Employee Training: Educate your employees about the risks of ransomware and how to identify and avoid phishing attempts. Teach them to be cautious of suspicious emails, attachments, and links.
4. Strong Passwords and Multi-Factor Authentication: Encourage employees to use strong, unique passwords for all accounts. Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) to add an extra layer of security.
5. Network Security: Protect your network with a firewall and intrusion detection systems to monitor for suspicious activity.
6. Antivirus and Anti-Malware Software: Use reliable antivirus and anti-malware software to detect and prevent ransomware infections.
7. Incident Response Plan: Develop a comprehensive incident response plan to outline steps to take in case of a ransomware attack. This plan should include procedures for isolating infected systems, contacting law enforcement, and restoring operations.

Additional Considerations

• Cybersecurity Insurance: Consider purchasing cybersecurity insurance to help mitigate the financial impact of a ransomware attack.
• Regular Security Audits: Conduct regular security audits to identify vulnerabilities and assess the effectiveness of your security measures.

By implementing these preventive measures and staying informed about the latest ransomware threats, you can significantly reduce the risk of a successful attack and protect your business from the devastating consequences.

#velvot #datasecurity #cybersecurity