Think before you click

Think before you click

Hackers attack every 39 seconds, On average

0
times a day

THE BUSINESS OF CYBER CRIME

Cyber Crime is a business and the hackers treat it such. Cyber Crime is a global entity that is a well-organized business and in most cases it involves Team-work, collaboration, and call centers. 

what are they after?

Money and information are their goals and they know how to get what they are looking for. 

Various platforms have a list of scams to be aware of: 

STANDARD BANK

ABSA

FNB

NEDBANK

Why are we at higher risk now

Due to COVID 19 many companies/ individuals were not ready for the work from home strategy. With the kids at home and routines out of order, this has lead to 

  • Distractions
  • Stress and Anxiety
  • Frustrations 

This leads to a more heuristic thinking, which can cause you to be more vulnerable to scams. Even though you are making judgment calls they are impaired by external factors such as working from home.

What is Phishing?

Phishing is a method where someone will try to obtain your personal information using fraudulent and misleading emails. You are contacted via email, SMS, or phone to action something and in doing this you are opening the door to your personal information being stolen.

Where do we go from here?

We can see more sophisticated attacks on the horizon, which means we must be ready and willing to educate ourselves on what the threats are. This is the only way we can protect ourselves and our clients. Knowledge is power and in this case, it can be your shield against the worst types of attacks. 

  • More extortion schemes (ransomware attacks)
  • Use of deep fakes in phishing (Use technology to recreate someone’s voice)
  • More sophisticated targeted phishing (Automated Laser Phasing)

Use critical thinking mind

Feeling: Does this invoke emotions such as fear or curiosity

Action: Are you asking to action something

Know: Do you know the sender (really)

Expect: Were you expecting this?

STOP. THINK. VERIFY

  • Be aware
  • Never click on the links
  • Is this email relevant to you?
  • The email instils a sense of urgency
  • Sent from an Iphone or Android – footer
  • Test to see what happens when you click reply. Usually a gmail account will appear

Top Tips

  • Train your employees to know what to look out for
  • Risk Assessment
  • User awareness and education – free phishing test Knowbe4.com
  • Know what the external risks are
  • Website Security
  • Third-party Risk on the website – Do your clients access the website with their personal information?
  • Messaging – Make sure all Teams, Zoom have multi-factor steps
  • Don’t save passwords and usernames on your browser

Password Managers

Password managers are a great way to keep your accounts secure. The key is to have one very strong password that you can remember and have a password manager do the rest. Cyber attacks work because people tend to use the same passwords throughout their accounts. This leaves their accounts vulnerable to attack. 

There are many options to choose from and we do not recommend any specific brand, but below are some popular managers to use:

  • Dashlane — Best All-Around Password Manager.
  • LastPass — Best Free Plan Features.
  • RoboForm — Best for Advanced Form-Filling Capabilities.
  • RememBear — Best for New Password Manager Users.
  • Keeper — Best for Encrypted File Sharing.
  • 1Password — Best Password Security for Families.

Cyber Security On Your Mobile devices

People tend to be more relaxed on their phones when it comes to communication. Mobile security is important, but not something that you must consider. Stay safe and make sure all apps are up to date. Install security on your devices. Ensure that your staff is aware of all the risks and to be careful when using their mobile devices.

Mobile Security Options:

  1. Bitdefender Mobile Security.
  2. Norton Mobile Security.
  3. Avast Mobile Security.
  4. AVG AntiVirus Free
  5. Kaspersky Internet Security for Android. 

Whether on your mobile device or computer best practice is if it’s too good to be true it probably is.

Understanding Hyperlinks

People seem to be more relaxed on their phones when it comes to communication. They are more likely to click on links. 

Mobile security is important, but not something that you might consider. Stay safe and make sure all apps are up to date. Install security on your devices. Ensure that your staff is aware of all the risks and to be careful when using their mobile devices. 

Password Best Practices

  1. Use Password Manager
  2. Apply multi-factor authentication
  3. Check haveibeenpwned (Check if you have an account that has been compromised in a data breach)
 

Information sourced from Varonis – Article Linked here

62%

Businesses experienced phishing and social engineering attacks in 2018

5%

Companies’ folders are properly protected, on average.

71%

Breaches were financially motivated

52%

Breaches featured hacking

28%

Involved malware

32 - 33%

Included phishing or social engineering

Educate yourself, family, friends, and colleagues

Don’t trust anything you didn’t expect

Limit what you share about yourself

Keep all software up to date

Use good password practices

Stay safe and think before you click, don’t believe everything you hear and trust your instincts. Stay updated with what is happening, knowledge is power.