4 key tips for staying safe online
2020 has been the year of working from home and online socialising. Whilst this has proven the importance and convenience of being online, it has also highlighted the importance of recognising the risks we lay open to.
One of the most common forms of cyber-attacks is that of phishing. Attackers aim to deliver malware to your devices by encouraging you to download a document or visit a link that instantly install unwanted programmes.
By looking at ways these attacks happen more closely, it can highlight useful tips and tricks of what to avoid.
Common features of Phishing
Victims might be tricked into clicking a link through to a fake web page with the aim of persuading the user to enter personal information - it's estimated that an average of 1.4 million of these websites are created every month.
Hackers using fake social media profiles, emails and more to build up a rapport with the victim over months or even years in cases where specific individuals are targeted for data that they would only ever hand over to people they trust.
Personal or corporate email address and passwords are valuable pieces of data to attackers, to financial data such as credit card details or online banking credentials or even personal data such as date of birth, address and a social security number.
What can happen to my data?
In the hands of fraudsters, all of the above information can be used to carry out scams like identity theft. With attackers using your identity they pose a threat to your accounts and company reputation.
Here’s what to keep a lookout for and avoid:
· Avoid clicking links which direct you to a site
· Avoid downloading content that is not familiar to you, or sent from an unfamiliar source
· Check the email address of the sender to check it is a secure and from genuine source
· There are often address’ at the bottom of fraudulent emails which indicate an attacker posing as a larger company - scroll down to the bottom of the email and have a look