During the income tax declaration period, accounting offices are faced with a challenge: ensuring the security of their data in a virtual environment full of threats. The risks are numerous and the potentially devastating consequences. Given the sensitive flow of information that circulates in these environments, it is essential to ensure that data exchange and storage are performed safely through digital accounting.
There are numerous benefits of digital accounting, proportionally with the high number of cyber threats, and avoiding internet problems becomes a priority, especially during this IR statement period. Through effective cybersecurity strategies, it is possible to protect against these threats and ensure a safe and reliable online environment throughout the process. With that in mind, we have prepared fundamental strategies, offering valuable insights on how to avoid internet problems and maintain data integrity during IR statement and protect your accounting office from potential attacks and vulnerabilities.
What is digital accounting?
Simply put, digital accounting refers to accounting offices that use technological resources to facilitate and optimize their services. As in other sectors of the economy, the use of the internet and technological systems to perform activities is in broad growth.
In this sense, accounting offices started using digital tools to ensure more quality and efficiency in their routine, optimizing work processes such as IR statement. In this case, technology works in favor of performing accounting services, providing a more technological and intelligent dynamics .
Thanks to these tools, and technological resources such as Artificial Intelligence and Automation, it is possible to analyze data more accurately and perform tasks by eliminating or reducing the incidence of human errors and failures.
Thus, the main objective of digital accounting is to make accounting services more dynamic and safe. This means that the famous pouches that have been used in recent decades have become obsolete, allowing a faster and safer response . In addition digital accounting also allows:
- Add value to the customer experience;
- Reduce service delivery time;
- Reduce the need for rework;
- Increase the productivity of employees;
- Provide further adherence to current legislation;
- And much more.
More than just online services, digital accounting focuses on optimizing its resources and services with the help of technology. This concept works widely, ensuring process fluidity and efficiency through automation.
Accounting offices: What are the main risks of violation?
We know that technological advancement has also allowed cybercriminals to develop tools aimed at deviating information and damage to devices and networks. For this reason, the concern about digital security , ie the protection of the internet becomes increasingly present within companies.
In the case of accounting offices this applies the same way. For this reason, it was necessary to pay attention to the main risks of violation that can undermine the data and stored information of the accounting offices.
Here are the main risks that are associated with lack of internet security within accounting offices:
Unauthorized access
Considering that an accounting office deals with confidential information continuously, it is essential to pay attention to access to this data. Unauthorized access can considerably impair your company, ranging from fines that are imposed by the legislation to the impairment of your business image in the market.
Unauthorized access to cybercriminals may favor the application of numerous cyber blows. In possession of confidential data such as the financial information of the IR declaration, these cybercriminals may apply scams, financial fraud or even sell this information to other companies.
Phishing
Phishing is one of the oldest cyber threats on the internet, being implemented to steal information by installing malicious software or even access data collection . Cybercriminals often use this tool to collect confidential data and favor the application of other even more harmful threats , being a problem to be combated by companies continuously.
Unavorsened users may end up providing confidential data on suspicious pages and allowing these criminals to access financial data from employees and suppliers of your company. An example of this was a cyber incident that occurred in Colatina/ES. One customer received an email from your accounting office with a link with information from alleged notification notification records.
Malware
Malware is designed to cause numerous types of problems for your business. Through them cybercriminals can get access to all information stored on your network, control financial transactions, monitor the digital behavior of your employees , collect confidential data, and more.
In addition to these problems, malware can also undermine the integrity of your devices, making your company need to invest in equipment maintenance and replacement. All of these problems can undermine the profitability and productivity of the business, and expose confidential financial information from your customers can lead to irreparable damage to the accounting offices responsible for the IR declaration.
Identity theft
Financial data, personal data and other confidential information can be used to apply scams and fraud. Using such information, cybercriminals can apply financial blows, make illegally transactions, and more.
This data can also be used for even higher schemes using financial information and personal money laundering data, for example.
Loss of customer confidence
Companies that undergo cyber attacks or suffer data violations of any kind may have their image considerably impaired in the market. This will make your customers lose confidence in your business and stop doing business with you.
One of the most targeted characteristics by customers looking for accounting offices lies in the reliability of transactions. The way your company deals with confidential data is a priority factor in the process of choosing a company providing accounting company.
Sanctions applied by LGPD
LGPD (General Data Protection Law) has brought paradigms to be followed by companies to ensure the protection of stored information . The main focus of this law is to ensure that consumer data is protected above anything , avoiding leakage and improper access to this information.
Security violations can cause your company to be fined and sanctions to be applied by the LGPD regulatory agency, causing immense damage and impacting the image of your organization on the market.
Ransomware
Information kidnapping known as Ransomware is one of the main dangers in the digital environment. With the help of malicious software and even using difficult strategies, cybercriminals kidnap the information and require payment of a ransom value.
Charged in cryptocurrencies, this rescue value can be quite high and does not always guarantee the recovery of the information that has been collected. Learn more about this cyber threat:
Data leakage
Information leakage is a real threat to accounting offices. By dealing with financial data and confidential information, this type of business needs to be more concerned with the leak of information.
The availability of confidential data on the Internet, even if it is because of cyber attacks, can undermine the image of your company before the market and consumers.
To understand the impact of data leakage, we can cite the data collected by the study “Cost of Data Violation Cost 2024 ”, carried out by IBM . According to the survey, the average cost of a data leakage is about $ 4.88 million. And, when it comes to the IR declaration period, data leakage in addition to causing economic losses can lead to serious moral and ethical losses, as they are sensitive and confidential data from individuals and companies.
Impacts of the lack of security in accounting offices
As we have seen earlier, lack of cyber security within the accounting office can be extremely harmful. In the case of LGPD, there are sanctions and penalties that can be applied when organizations do not comply with the requirements arranged by law, ranging from warnings to fines up to 2% of your company's revenues.
In addition to warnings and fines, the LGPD regulatory agency may also request publicization of the infringement committed, eliminating data related to the infraction committed and blocking information. The National Data Protection Authority is the agency responsible for investigating and applying the fines and sanctions imposed by law, so it is essential to ensure that your business is in accordance with the specifications brought by the law.
Thinking from the consumer point of view, the lack of concern and attention to data security is one of the most important factors in the process of choosing an accounting office. For this reason, it is the responsibility of companies to ensure that all their resources and tools used are in accordance with law specifications.
Considering that technology is used to perform various tasks within an accounting office, including the delivery of the income tax return, it is essential to ensure more security for these processes.
One tool that can optimize this process is the pre-named statement offered by the IRS. It automatically fills in income and deductions, accelerating filling and reducing errors, making the process more efficient and safe.
In addition, when using technological tools to perform activities that involve sensitive data, it is essential to choose applications and platforms that present all security resources needed to maintain information protection.
The risk of exposing financial information from the IR declaration
Based on recent judicial proceedings, it is the understanding of the Superior Court of Justice that it is the responsibility of banks the fraud committed through the leakage of information . In this sense, accounting offices may also present responsibility to the court due to the leakage of confidential information, and it is essential to adopt security solutions that help to avoid this type of problem.
According to Article 44 of the General Data Protection Law , data processing is considered irregular when there is no security expected by the holder of the information. In this context, the company needs to consider the risks of the data processing outcome that was implemented within the organization.
In this sense, we can understand how the protection of income tax information is a priority. By dealing with financial data from various clients, it is the responsibility of the accounting office to ensure all the security resources needed to maintain the confidentiality of this information.
How to avoid internet problems during IR statement: eight essential security measures
As the key is to protect itself, the accounting company needs to be aware of some care that can avoid internet problems and help increase the protection of your information and your customers during the income tax return. With this in mind, we have separated seven measures that can be implemented to help avoid internet problems and increase data security:
1. Cryptography
When it comes to storage and transfer of sensitive information, encryption has a prominent role. Developed to increase the integrity and authenticity of information, encryption helps ensure that data is accessed only by authorized persons.
We know that by dealing with the delivery of IR declaration of many people and companies, we collect extremely sensitive data, and that can be used in financial blows and fraud . For this reason, encryption can be a valuable allied in protecting this information. With systems and tools that contain this type of key, your accounting office may increase the protection of data that is stored and used in income tax statements.
2. Access and compliance policies
A key point to prevent improper access of sensitive information is the well -structured access policies It is the manager's responsibility to elaborate an access policy that can understand all the characteristics of your company and the level of confidentiality of each type of information.
This policy should be directed and developed based on concern for information security, encouraging employees to establish safer measures and maintain a digital security culture focused on data confidentiality. It is also essential that the company encourages adhesion to this policy as a way to avoid safety incidents.
Compliance ensuring that all digital tools are in accordance with the provisions of the law. If necessary, you can hire a digital auditor to verify the tools and resources used by your company, as well as the adequacy of the law.
3. Creation of more complex passwords
It may seem repetitive, but more complex password creation is a factor that can help considerably in protecting information. Although we know that the memorization of numerous access passwords can be very difficult for some people, the facilitation in the creation of the password favors the improper access of Cyber criminals to the organization's networks and devices.
According to a survey conducted by NordPass (Password Management Service), names like Lucas, Gabriel, Pedro, Felipe and Matheus are among the most found in incidents with data leaks. The first places are occupied by the following passwords:
- 123456 (3,018,050 incidents)
- 123456789 (1,625,135 incidents)
- 12345678 (884,740 incidents)
- password (692,151 incidents)
- QWERTY123 (642,638 incidents)
- QWERTY1 (583,630 incidents)
- 111111 (459,730 incidents)
- 12345 (395,573 incidents)
- Secret (363,491 incidents)
- 123123 (351,576 incidents)
If necessary, you can use a password manager to provide more ease in everyday life, encrypting these passwords and ensuring that users can increase protection in access to resources and tools used.
4. Training and training
There is no point in using security features and protective tools if your team is not prepared to deal with it. For this reason, it is also important to enable their employees to understand the importance of cyber security and how it is possible to adopt a more preventive stance in the face of today's cyber threats.
Your employees deal daily with the tools used to perform the tasks, so that the more prepared and instructed they are, the easier it will be to maximize the security of information . Very relevant training for this sector is phishing training , which can help your employees identify signals in malicious emails.
5. Tool Update
For security tools to deliver the features and protection you expect, it is essential that they are updated as needed. These updates are developed to keep up with the new strategies and tools used by cybercriminals.
For this reason, talk to the team responsible for managing and maintaining these tools to ensure that all updates are done as needed , such as cash flow management tools, financial management platforms, accounting system, essential for optimizing the IR statement.
6. Backup
We know that even with all security resources implemented and an organizational culture aimed at protecting information, it is still possible to suffer from cyber attacks. Cybercriminals develop strategies every day to be able to divert information and access systems improperly.
In the case of data related to the IR declaration, the loss of this information can be extremely harmful. Delaying the delivery of the statement impairs your customer and causes a huge negative impact on the image of your accounting office on the market.
For this reason, it is essential to include in your company routine backups to protect yourself in the event of loss of information. Thus, if the data is lost, your company can ensure the continuity of services.
7. Monitoring
A monitoring tool can make all the difference in your accounting company security management . Through continuous monitoring, it is possible to identify possible improper behaviors and ensure that device networks are always protected. It is also possible to have an MSP to perform this monitoring and ensure more complete protection.
Tools such as Firewall DNS can be valuable allied in the digital resource monitoring process, helping to identify possible failures and prevent misconduct from malicious users.
8. Blocking websites outside the scope of work
To maintain the focus and productivity of employees in high value deliveries such as income tax statements, it is essential to implement measures that strengthen digital security and reduce distractions. An effective practice in this regard is the blocking of websites outside the scope of work.
By restricting access to websites not related to professional activities, the company not only protects its employees from possible cyber threats, but also promotes a more productive and focusing on tasks that really matter. Blocking undue access and avoiding online distractions, the company can ensure that deadlines are fulfilled faster and more accurately, contributing to customer satisfaction and accounting office reputation.
Therefore, blocking sites outside the scope of work not only strengthens digital security, but also increases operational effectiveness and delivery quality, aligning with the company's strategic objectives.
How can Firewall DNS increase data security during income tax return?
Firewall DNS or DNS Firewall is a safety tool aimed at blocking and redirecting users to avoid access to malicious websites and can also be used to monitor devices, update managers about malicious attacks, among other features. With the help of this tool, your accounting office will be able to avoid identity theft, monitor the loss or block of information, increase protection against malware installation, among other features.
This valuable tool helps increase productivity on everyday tasks, protect the network against harmful sites, improve the quality of your internet and monitor the use of the internet more efficiently. Thus, it minimizes the incidence of problems related to viruses and malware , blocking information leakage and malicious behavior during activities related to IR declaration.
Being an easy -to -use and understanding tool, Firewall DNS allows assertive control of your company's safety features, avoiding the creation of vulnerability points through insecure behavior in the digital environment. Blocking certain pages and resources can make all the difference in your accounting company security control , helping to keep your employees away from problems. Blocking Games and Personal Betting and Email Websites can help your office avoid major cyber attacks aimed at theft.
Custom Lumiun Solutions for Accounting Offices
Lumiun Lumiun Box works differently from existing market solutions, identifying the need for an easy solution to be implemented and managed as a pillar of development.
It is known that currently one of the biggest problems of companies is low productivity and the lack of security on the internet , so it is in this segment that Lumiun operates, simplified to small and medium-sized companies, such as accounting offices.
See some of the main features and advantages of Lumiun Box for accounting offices:
- Installation and quick and simplified configuration;
- Without the need for new equipment or servers;
- No need to maintain equipment or software updates;
- No cost with specialized professional for maintenance and support;
- Management through an intuitive panel;
- Fully usable for home office professionals and teams.
In addition, another solution is Lumiun DNS that can help your accounting office increase protection. Simply put, Lumiun DNS adds an extra layer of protection to your company's devices and networks, and allows continuous monitoring to be implemented with the help of artificial intelligence.
The main advantages of Lumiun DNS for accounting offices are:
- BLOCK OF MALICIOUS SITES
- PHISING SHORT ACCESS ACCESS BLOCK
- Prevents the opening of unknown links coming by email
- Blocks access to malicious ads
- Blocks adult content that normally contains harmful links
- Prevents the installation of software containing viruses and malware
- Prevents theft of identity and company data
In both cases, the great benefit of these solutions is that you will have access to specialized support with trained analysts in Brazil, ensuring that your company will have the protection you need whenever necessary.
